Ears
Wearable Gunfire Detection
A split second is all that separates a shot and the information needed to respond with QinetiQ North America’s Shoulder-Worn Acoustic Targeting System or SWATS™ (IGDS). Part of the our survivability family of products, SWATS is an innovative application of acoustic sensors. It provides immediate situational awareness through local threat alert and location, enhancing personal safety.
SWATS is an individual gunfire detection solution designed for use in both urban and rural environments where it can be challenging to locate the source of gunfire. Worn on the shoulder, SWATS is small, lightweight at less than a pound and power efficient. The intuitive system provides actionable information for the near-immediate ability to seek cover and return fire.
Developed as a human-wearable extension of QinetiQ North America’s Ears® acoustic sensor applications, SWATS accurately detects gunfire and determines its source location in less than a second. Users are alerted to a threat by audio and/or visual reporting. A wrist-worn grid screen pinpoints the bearing and distance of the threat, including the wearer’s military grid reference system (MGRS) coordinates for quick response and back up support.
Intelligent tracking continually updates multiple threat locations, even as the wearer turns and moves. QinetiQ North America proprietary algorithms significantly reduce false alarms for reliable performance.
- Fast: pinpoints target in <1 second
- Lightweight at <1 pound
- Low power for long mission support without changing batteries
- Accurate even in complex acoustic urban and open field environments
- Audible, visible and digital alerts
SWATS performance and accurate detection of snipers and other hidden hostile combatants is field proven. Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Army’s PEO Soldier and deployed as part of the Land Warrior program, SWATS is currently used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Ears Conversion Kit utilizes a single Ears sensor and multiple mountings for on-the-go, versatile use of SWATS, VMS and FSS.
Ears SWATS (Shoulder-Worn System)
- Mounted on the warfighter’s non-firing shoulder
- Provides audio cueing and/or visual display
- Intuitive user interface
Ears VMS™ (Vehicle Mounted System)
- Easily installed without vehicle modifications
- Operates on vehicle power
- Rugged display unit and an in-vehicle mounting kit
Ears FSS™ (Fixed Site System)
- Designed for perimeter protection
- Small, self-contained system
- Mounts on a pole or tripod
- Runs on electrical or battery power
- Rugged PDA display and audio output