Snipers exposed: ‘Boomerang’ technology tells troops where first shot was fired

Visitors to the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom over the weekend got to test a safe version of a new technology can identify small-arms fire and tell users the exact origin of the shots.

Raytheon’s “Boomerang” shooter detection system can be mounted on vehicles such as Humvees, embedded on helicopters, or simply sit on a serviceman’s shoulder, the company said.

“When a shot is detected, Boomerang immediately calls out, (for example), ’Shot. Two o’clock. 400 meters.’ The o’clock position also appears on the dial and range and elevation appear on the LED display screen,” Raytheon’s website states.

Utility sites in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States have also signed contracts with the company to obtain the system, Raytheon said. The move was in response to unidentified snipers who attacked an electrical substation in San Jose, California, in April 2013. The attack disabled 17 transformers.

“With more than 10,000 units deployed, Boomerang is the most widely deployed shooter detection system in the world,” said Raytheon vice president Roy Azevedo. “Just as our vehicle-mounted and soldier-wearable Boomerang systems have been well received internationally, I believe there is a substantial need for Boomerang Air with our allies.”