'Matrix' laptop-triggered landmine

[CXGJarrod]

'Matrix' laptop-triggered landmine

The US Army will by June deploy in Iraq its "Matrix" system of remotely-detonated landmines, despite widespread concerns about the technology. The Mosul-based Styker Brigade will, according to Yahoo! news, be able to control individual devices from a laptop via a WLAN set-up. The Army reckons Matrix will eliminate accidental deaths caused by dumb landmines. Critics say otherwise.

Following successful tests in September, the US will deploy 25 sets of mines in Iraq. These include both M18 Claymores, which deliver steel balls, and the "M5 Modular Crowd Control Munition" - a non-lethal rubber-ball-delivering alternative. The Army's Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey said in a January statement that Matrix was intended for "firebase security, landing zone security, remote offensive attack and both infrastructure and check point protection".

Matrix project leader, Major Joe Hitt, declared: "The system is user friendly and a soldier will require a minimal amount of training in order to safely employ and use the system."

Source

What do all you millitary/security guys think about this kind of thing? It sounds like an interesting system, but I wonder if it could be hacked. I wonder what kind of security they have to transmit what ever is need to arm/disarm the landmine.

I did enjoy this quote as well.

We at El Reg hope that enterprising Iraqi insurgents do not make merry with the Army's Claymore-controlling WLAN. It would certainly give a new edge to the phrase "wardriving".

[RoadClosed]

Most likely the same technology that arms and disarms missiles.

[CXGJarrod]

Originally posted here by RoadClosed
Most likely the same technology that arms and disarms missiles.

Do you know anything further that I could Google?

[foxyloxley]

Most military technology is well in advance of what we get in civvie street, for obvious reasons.
So google will only get you an idea, as opposed to a full picture, again for obvious reasons.

And I, for one, hope that whoever did the programming, managed to get out ALL the bugs

It would certainly give a new edge to the phrase "wardriving".

I just hope that this comment remains as a joke, and NOT as an epitaph .........

[neel]

RoadClosed >> can missiles be disarmed wireless ?

All >> I'd guess they implement the same technique used by some military mobile radar things wich use wifi (or barbwire) to transmit data... it has real low power radiation (iirc a few 100 miliwatts against a few watts already in the air contstantly in the middle of the desert) wich makes it almost undetectible and I don't think they add the standard protocol wich nicely sends all info you want to some random netstumbler equiped laptop... Of course you can **** arround with it as you can with them infrared carkeys, but you'll have to know quite well how the system works already. The military prolly won't forget to add encryption and a password to the whole setup, unlike home users.

[!mitationRust]

Originally posted here by CXGJarrod
Do you know anything further that I could Google?

http://www.atk.com/AdvancedWeaponSys...iersystems.asp
Yeah, start with (IMS)Intelligent Munitions System. Matrix, like Spider hmmm mmmm, We got boocoo movement. ~ Sgt. Barnes: (Platoon 1986) ctrl-alt-delete
These are going to be used to protect our soldiers in their bases. They're not planting them inside civilian pizza shops like Hezbolloah. Barrier Systems for the checkpoints I assume.

Originally posted here by foxyloxley
And I, for one, hope that whoever did the programming, managed to get out ALL the bugs

They probably used Ada 95 an ISO standard (ISO-8652:1995), I suppose.