Boeing Wins Toolkit Contract

Boeing won a U.S. Air Force contract for a Ground Situation Awareness Toolkit (GSAT), a system that integrates ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system with a gunfire detection and location technology system.
Boeing said the integrated kit is designed to provide additional force protection for military convoys and bases against sniper fire.
The Air Force's 820th Security Forces Group at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., will conduct a four-month military utility assessment to validate ground detection and aerial location of sniper fire. If successful, the system could join Operation Iraqi Freedom.
ShotSpotter, Santa Clara, Calif., said its gunshot location technology is based on acoustic sensors that can detect muzzle blast and, depending on the circumstances, the sound of a projectile while it travels. ShotSpotter sensors are ground-based, personnel wearable and vehicle mounted. In the GSAT application, the system can provide ScanEagle the coordinates of a shot's origin to enable the vehicle to point its camera at that location.
In the GSAT application, the system can provide ScanEagle the coordinates of a gunshot’s origin to enable the vehicle to point its camera at that location. “GSAT/ScanEagle 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 U.S. Air Force Col. John R. Decknick, commander, 820th Security Forces Group. More