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home > February, 2007 issue > article
Air Force to access gunfire detection and location system
By Dawn S. Onley
Editor
The 820th Security Forces Group will be the first Air Force unit to try out a new system that will allow airmen to identify locations that enemy rounds are being fired from.
The system, called the Ground Situational Awareness Toolkit (GSAT), includes the Scan Eagle unmanned aircraft system and ShotSpotter gunfire acquisition technology.
Scan Eagle, which is a four-foot long vehicle with a 10-foot wingspan, takes off via a catapult and can fly up to 68 knots, according to developer Boeing Co.’s Advanced Systems’ Advanced Precision Engagement and Mobility Systems. ShotSpotter is an integrated gunfire detection and location package that is comprised of acoustic sensors and designed to increase force protection for military convoys and bases against sniper fire, according to a Boeing release. ShotSpotter, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., developed the ShotSpotter system.
“GSAT/Scan Eagle has the potential to increase our combat capability, protect the lives of our airmen, and provide incredible situational awareness to our deployed security forces commanders,” said Air Force Col. John Decknick, 820th SFG commander, in the release.
Navy and Marine Corps are currently using Scan Eagle in Iraq and several law enforcement and military agencies use ShotSpotter. The Air Force’s 820th Security Forces Group, locate at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, will conduct a four-month utility assessment to test ground detection and aerial location of sniper fire. If successful, the system could also accompany Air Force personnel in Iraq.
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