Soldier planting a T-UGS system, original version (via NorthropGrumman)
The military, as well as Border Control, have been using ground-based sensors and sensor nets for quite some time now. It’s even been speculated that famed Area 51 has employed them since the late 50’s. These sensors detect people or vehicles with a variety of technology including seismic, acoustic and infrared imagers. However, the current generation of sensors have a limited lifespan; meaning they only work for days or weeks before the batteries need a recharge or replacement. They also aren’t very ‘stealthy’ either with the US Army’s T-UGS (Tactical Unattended Ground Sensor) system as an example, which houses an infrared camera system atop a telescoping pole which makes it hard to conceal.
The current UGS systems are being used in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and both borders of the US to monitor the movement of ‘hostiles’ or illegal immigrants respectively. In Afghanistan, these sensors are used as a way to monitor area soldiers are concerned about but can’t patrol because of a lack of man-power or other ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) equipment. As the US sets to draw back its conventional forces in 2014, the remaining special operations units will rely heavily on UGS systems for SR (Special Reconnaissance) for the rest of their stay.
To help the special operators in their efforts, various companies are looking to equip them with the latest next-gen UGS systems which include Northrop Grumman’s Scorpion 2 Unattended Target Recognition System and Lockheed Martin’s SPAN (Self-Powered Ad-Hoc Network) system among others (Harris Corporations Silent Watch, Falcon Watch and McQ Inc. OmniSense, OmniSense-Enhanced).
(Left) SCORPION II gear, 50% smaller and lighter than original (Right) The communication network (via NorthropGrumman)
Northrop’s Scorpion 2 UGS features wireless day/night Electro-optic sensor along with seismic, magnetic and passive IR (infrared) sensors and have BLOS (Beyond Line of Sight) communications capability. This means that anyone around the world (with the right decryption ie: the Pentagon) can monitor the area being covered by the UGS system. The system even has pan/tilt servos that allow the remote operator to adjust the position of camera (with a maximum view distance of 800 meters) for a better view. Powering the Scorpion 2 are two to six (depending on requirements) B/A 5390 non-rechargeable lithium battery packs that are capable of running for six months or longer before needing to be replaced.
SPAN system, original in the left hand, concealed "rock" version in the right (via NorthropGrumman)
Lockheed Martin’s SPAN system is no less impressive and features a ‘self-organizing/self-healing’ sensor grid which is able to detect vehicles or people that pass through its ‘grid’. The system design uses both seismic and acoustic sensors that are housed in a false rock (and any other concealment you prefer) to detect movement. Up to 50 of them can be used to create a ‘grid’ (think of it like a laser array that guards precious jewels in the movies) in an area to be monitored. Each sensor rock is connected wirelessly and work together as a net. When one sensor is tripped it automatically sends a single to others around it to gather data such as direction and speed which is then transmitted to a spy-blimp equipped with a camera system that can lock on to the target that tripped the grid. It can also send the signals anywhere including satellites or tactical communications systems, and it’s also capable of sending a Twitter message to mobile devices!
(Left) Thin-film battery powering a LED circa 2009 (Right) Concept Thinergy battery cell
SPAN's power system is quite unique. Each ‘node’ houses a ‘thin-film battery’ (manufacturer is unknown) that’s capable of being recharged over 80,000 times. Thin-film batteries can be as thick at a piece of paper, and often flexible. Shaping a battery to fit the housing would be easy. Each node reduces the power used by shutting down unnecessary systems (such as wireless) when not in use. The devices can be outfitted with a tiny photovoltaic solar panel that recharges the battery which technically can provide the sensor with power for 20 years or more, so the officials say.
We can certainly expect to see a wider use of UGS systems in the near future for monitoring battlefields and borders, but will it stop there? Why not deploy them around prisons or other heavily guarded facilities such as the NSA’s new super-facility being built in Utah? It certainly makes sense considering we already have police and corporate UAV’s flying over American airspace monitoring everything from criminal activity to cattle (EPA monitoring farmers in Nebraska and Iowa with UAVs). These little sensors could do the same thing without the use of fossil fuels and large costs associated with UAV flights.
Cabe
