The new Joint Improvised Explosive Device Neutralizer

www.azstarnet.com...

A Tucson-based company says it has an answer to one of the deadliest threats facing U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq: roadside bombs.

Ionatron Inc. says its remote-controlled "Joint Improvised Explosive Device Neutralizer," or JIN, can cruise along roadways and detect and disable or detonate bombs planted to ambush passing vehicles.

A military spokesman confirmed that the Defense Department recently shifted $10 million in an Iraq fund to field-test the prototypes.

"IEDs account for over 50 percent of deaths and injuries occurring in Iraq at the present time," said Dick Bridges, spokesman for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Task Force at the Pentagon.

Bridges said the military is looking at Ionatron's device along with other technologies to address the threat, adding that "there are no silver bullets" to defeat roadside bombs.

"We are pursuing all avenues to find solutions," he said, declining to discuss future contract plans. The Ionatron work is being contracted by the U.S. Navy in south-central Indiana, Bridges said.

Bridges said he accompanied Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the Improvised Explosive Device Task Force, and other military officials at an April 12 demonstration of the device at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where the device appeared to detonate several simulated bombs. "The JIN is a great example of what industry can do to help win the war on terrorism," Bridges said.

Dearmin said the prototypes are 95 to 98 percent complete. The JIN II, an armored version, is designed to repel rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. The armored units cost about $800,000 each, the nonarmored versions somewhat less, Dearmin said.

pretty nifty device, there are thousands of these devices and many more are coming, hang on troops. of course dont be too dependent on them but at least it helps them.

Man thats great to hear, because most of the casualties are do to IEDs and suicide bombers. If you took away the dealths do to those incidents we would have a heck of a lot less casualties. Probably like 500- 600 range something like that.

How does it work does it just cruise along on the side of the road and somehow sense electronic equipment or smell explosives even if they are buried or hidden?

Originally posted by WestPoint23
How does it work does it just cruise along on the side of the road and somehow sense electronic equipment or smell explosives even if they are buried or hidden?

as they said, its classified. u can try and find out if u want. u know the usual methods, bribing and hacking etc.

I called ATSer Intelgurl about this.
From that conversation I learned that the company that makes this "Joint Improvised Explosive Device Neutralizer" is also in the "Directed Energy Weapons" business and the JIN uses either microwave or intense electrical charge through the ground, which then detonates the explosive.