European Defense Agency Launches SNIper POsitioning and Detection Program

Released on Monday, June 23, 2008

EADS Innovation Works has recently signed a contract with the European Defence Agency to launch a new research project called SNIPOD (SNIper POsitioning and Detection). This project aims at enhancing sniper detection systems.

Recent crisis management operations in urban environment have highlighted the issue of snipers attacks. Urban areas are by nature highly populated, heterogeneous and highly cluttered, offering multiple potential sniping posts. There is therefore a real need of systems that could detect snipers in such complex environments, localise and classify them with accuracy and speed, in order to deter, prevent or react without collateral damage.

The SNIPOD project is an answer to this need; it will improve the capabilities of acoustic and laser-based systems, investigate complementary promising technologies such as infrared imagery and radar and develop signature databases. By combining these different tools, SNIPOD will significantly enhance the performances of detection systems.

SNIPOD is one of the first projects selected under the R&T Joint Investment Programme (JIP) on Force Protection, launched by the European Defence Agency in 2007 with the support of 20 nations: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The SNIPOD consortium gathers 6 entities from 5 contributing Members States: EADS Innovation Works and CILAS in France, Defence Electronics, an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security in Germany, SNIPOS in Norway, the Military University of Technology im. Jaroslawa Dabrowskiego in Poland and the Swedish Defence Research Agency.

EADS Innovation Works will manage this 30 months project and among others, will provide its expertise in the characterisation of Laser signature of optronics systems. Such contract will contribute to EADS Innovation Works strategy to enhance capabilities in Defence and Security, to strengthen partnerships with European key actors and develop innovative operational solutions.