NATO tests RFID to prevent friendly fire

NATO has been testing technologies, including radio frequency ID tags, to try to reduce casualties from friendly fire.

Earlier this month NATO's Operation Urgent Quest exercise tested the potential of a number of combat identity systems, under battlefield conditions on Salisbury Plain in England with 800 troops, 94 combat vehicles and nine aircraft putting a number of technologies through their paces.

The system allows commanders and gunners to investigate a target without having to aim the main gun at it, which could be considered threatening.

U.S. Army Col. Bill McKean told Silicon.com that a lot of time and money has been spent looking for a single "silver bullet" system to solve the problem of friendly fire. But "it needs to be a family of complementary solutions, fielded to different degrees by different nations that can work together," McKean said.

Although many of the technologies are bulky at the moment, similar technologies for individual troops could soon be on the horizon. "As these technologies progress, they all progress toward miniaturization, and that's good for the dismounted soldier," he said.

One of the technologies being investigated is radio frequency tagging, according to Lt. Col. Tony Sobrero of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Battlelab. But the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags being tested by the military are larger and more rugged--and much more expensive--than the ones being tested by retailers.

Energy sent out by an aircraft's radar is used to illuminate the tag, which can then send back location information in the reflected radar return.

The smallest of the tags being tested is powered by four AA batteries.

Sobrero explained: "Typically aircraft are very good at identifying other aircraft but less good at identifying ground assets. We are demonstrating that we can illuminate (a tag) and get information back."

One of the big benefits of using the tags is that there is no need to update the radar hardware, he said.

He added: "You could use it for tracking friendlies or high value assets you don't want to target, like a hospital. It's a fairly inexpensive technology that can be used on a number of platforms. With that little antenna and four AA batteries you can get a return at 80 miles."

The next step is to develop the tags, so they don't respond to enemy radar, and to add encryption and anti-tamper features.

"These are things to think about and we're not there yet," Sobrero said.

Operation Urgent Quest also showcased other identity systems including a millimeter-wave based technology called Battlefield Target Identification Device (BTID). The BTID interrogator--for example, mounted on a tank--sends an encrypted message to a vehicle that it wants to identify. If the unknown vehicle has a BTID transponder, this will unscramble the message and then reply with its own encrypted message, which will identify it as a "friend."

The system allows commanders and gunners to investigate a target without having to aim the main gun at it, which could be considered threatening. It has a range of three miles for battle tanks. But when fitted to a Harrier Jump Jet, it has a range of 12 miles. It could be in service on the battlefield by 2010.

Other systems tested include one that will help forward-observers quickly identify targets but also find the location of friendly units within the same footprint in around two seconds by using radio broadcasts.

Another system was laser-based and small enough to be mounted on a soldier's rifle.

Steve Ranger of Silicon.com reported from London.

[SystemsJunky]

Here's an idea

Quite fighting in useless wars. There is this thing called talking where you can usually come to an accord when you dont like one another.

[Yukimi Konomi]

Wow, Nobel Prize for you I guess...

Who woulda thought that it could be that easy, World Peace brought to you from the forums at Cnet...

What about when

the psychotic leader of powerful country X decides to take over the world? Do you think Hitler could have been talked down? Don't say it can't happen again.

Oops

That was supposed to be in reply to Heckler's comment.

[Get_Bent]

A double-edged sword

What's to prevent enemy forces from using this RFID technology against your own troops? Encrypting the exchange is of limited used - if I issue a challenge and get an unknown response, I assume that it's the enemy and open fire. This RFID setup would be a great asset for snipers, allowing them to pick off enemy troops without shooting any of their own by mistake.

[marcw]

battle field condition

I doubt anyone will be thinking about changing the batteries when the bullets are whizzing by. And as stated before, when there is no response to the RFID query, there will be plenty of bullets...