WATCH: IAI reveals 'groundbreaking' defense against IEDs

The new three-tiered detection system is mounted onto the front of armored vehicles and possibly eliminates the greatest threat ground forces have faced in recent years.

By DOV LIEBER
IAI reveals 'groundbreaking' defense against IEDs
The IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) has unveiled the latest defense against the threat facing armored vehicles from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and mines—a large rectangular multi-sensor system that is placed on the front of an armored vehicle, which can detect and then destroy hidden explosive devices from long distances.
The CIMS (Counter IED and Mine Suite), which was first unveiled in a US Army exhibition last week in Washington, DC, has three main components: an above-surface detection system, advanced ground penetrating radar and a powerful metal detector.
This three-tiered system enables the CIMS to detect hidden explosives underground, partially exposed above ground and those in camouflage.
According to a video released by the IAI, CIMS can operate day and night and through any weather at a rate of 10 kph for a 270° radius. The video also shows a machine gun attached to the tank destroying the detected explosives.
“CIMS was developed primarily in order to enable quick and safe ground maneuvers,” said Nissim Hadas, the Vice President of IAI and CEO of Alta.
Hadas added that “the development of the system was due to the idea that presently there exists no sufficient solution to this complex military problem that can provide reliable security for ground forces.”
IEDs and mines were the greatest threat to American soldiers in Iraq. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the average number of US soldiers wounded by IEDs between 2004 and 2008 was roughly 336 a month.