Marines eye ground-penetrating radar technology for detection of improvised explosive devices
By John Keller
QUANTICO MARINE BASE, Va. - U.S. Marine Corps leaders are asking industry for ideas of how to build a system to provide a downward- and forward-looking ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to help identify buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mines.
The ground-penetrating radar would be mounted on the Cougar military vehicle and would help enable Multi National Forces-West (MNF-W) to detect and clear IEDs and hidden mines.
An attached downward-looking GPR needs to provide an operator on the Cougar vehicle with real-time detection and location warning of hazardous devises buried in the road or shoulder at depths as far as 18 inches at a standoff distance without detonating or triggering the explosive.
The organization in charge of this investigation is the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) at Quantico Marine Base, Va. Lab experts are seeking market research information from companies capable of providing an IED- and mine-hunting ground-penetrating radar system for the Cougar vehicle.
Marine Corps leaders caution that this market research at the moment is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as a commitment of any kind. The focus of this investigation is to find suitable commercial and nondevelopmental items, or items that can be easily modified, to meet the Marine Corps IED-hunting needs.
If no such commercial or nondevelopmental items exist, the Marine Corps may consider procuring developmental items based on the information received as a result of this market research.
Responses were due on Dec. 22. For more information contact project officer Marine Corps Maj. Timothy S. Callahan by phone at 703-784-1088, or see the solicitation online at www2.fbo.gov/spg/DON/USMC/M67854/M6785407R9014/SynopsisR.html.
