Later this month a British Parachute Regiment stationed in Afghanistan will be using a progressively new device which can pinpoint the exact location of enemy (in this case Taliban) snipers over a half a mile (1000 yards) away.

The 4-inch square shaped device weighs 11 oz and sits comfortably on a soldiers arm. Using a shoulder sensor which can pinpoint the enemy shooters grid coordinates; troops are able to fire back at any hostiles instantly with great accuracy. Incoming shot announcements are heard from either a built-in speaker or through an earpiece.

Mark Sherman, vice president and general manager of Boomerang at BBN, claims the system provides 360-degree coverage with no false alarms. The sensor is also motion-compensated, meaning it can maintain the relative location of the shooter for up to 60 seconds while the soldier runs, rolls, ducks or spins to take cover.

On top of all that, the tiny device can also communicate with Joint Tactical Air Controllers to forward exact location of the enemy to fighter pilots for an air strike

The new lightweight design of the Boomerang Warrior X, the idea for which came directly from soldier feedback to QinetiQ’s SWATS system, which is capable of stopping a vehicle weighing up to 5,500 lb travelling at speeds up to 30 mph within 200 feet and non-lethality.

According to the Dailymail, each unit – known officially known as the Compact Soldier Worn Shooter-Detector System – costs $15,000 (£10,000). An initial 1,000 have been ordered for British troops in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province. If trials are successful, more soldiers will be issued with it later this year.

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