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Spy stones scattered across Afghanistan

09.06.2012

The United States will withdraw troops from Afghanistan in 2014, but for many years after the official end of the conflict, unique sensors scattered throughout the country will monitor the Afghans.

In accordance with the order of the Pentagon, Lockheed Martin is developing a whole family of various sensors, some of which will be disguised as ordinary stones. Equipped with solar panels, tiny computers, seismic sensors, video cameras, microphones, etc., these sensors will be able to spy on potential terrorists for two decades.

Currently, US Customs and Border Protection uses more than 7,5 thousand similar sensors on the border with Mexico - to identify illegal migrants. In 2011, the Pentagon ordered a trial batch of 1500 seismic sensors for use in Afghanistan. These hockey puck-sized devices are easy to hide and can transmit data on the movement of people and vehicles within a protected area for up to three months.

Also northeast of Norfolk, Virginia, Lockheed's more sophisticated system is being tested, which is an array of 50 palm-sized acoustic and seismic sensors networked together. When the sensor detects a person or vehicle, it uses free radio frequencies and transmits a signal from one network node to another. As a result, the message about the intruder gets to the communication center, which sends it to the satellite, tactical network, to the terminal of a special forces soldier or directly to the control center. These sensors consume very little power, can be equipped with a solar panel and hidden in a recess carved into the stone. During the tests, the lithium-ion batteries of the sensors withstood 80 recharges, which allows them to work for 20 years or more. The price of new sensors is relatively low - about $1000 a piece, which is 80 times cheaper than a high-precision artillery shell.

There are also a number of other similar projects. Thus, Camgian Microsystems has developed for the Pentagon a unique miniature sensor with a phased antenna array and a target identification algorithm. It is capable of detecting vehicles and pedestrians with high accuracy at any time of the day and in any weather, and powerful solar panels provide up to 500 recharge cycles with a sensor life of 10-20 years. At the same time, the Camgian Microsystems sensor transmits information directly to the satellite.

Such sensors can be dropped from unmanned aerial vehicles or incorporated into the structure of buildings and road infrastructure during construction. In the first case, the Pentagon will be able to collect valuable intelligence without having to risk a special forces group or its agents among the locals.

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