US deploys IED detection systems in Iraq and Afghanistan

Moving IED fight 'left of boom'. The XPAK device, which will undergo advanced combat evaluation, is capable of quickly detecting trace levels

Posted by Aharon Etengoff at 05:58 PM GMT on Jan 26, 2009

The US Combat Support Directorate of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is slated to deploy 50 RedxDefense portable trace explosives detection systems to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The XPAK device, which will undergo advanced combat evaluation, is capable of quickly detecting trace levels of conventional high explosives, including TNT, DNT, Tetryl, RDX, C-4, PE-4, PETN, Semtex and nitroglycerin. The system is likely to be used for wide area explosives screening as a means of identifying individuals and facilities engaged in bomb-making activities. 

"When used in conventional operations, the XPAK addresses significant field limitations of existing technologies," Dr. Regina E. Dugan,  President & CEO of RedXDefense told The News. "With the simplest available system for large data collection, visualisation, and analysis, XPAK also fills critical capability gaps in missions focused on identifying terrorist networks and bomb-making facilities."

Dugan explained that the company's ultimate goal was to shift the counter IED fight significantly "left of boom" by utilising the XPAK as part of an organic data collection toolkit to develop actionable intelligence. The detection unit has no warm up time, no hot sample clear down, a full training program of less than a day and is powered by standard AA batteries.

The advanced system has already been deployed in high risk sectors by foreign and US military, civilian and private sector customers. Example applications include force protection, vehicle check points and clearance of unattended packages or cargo.