German army to equip combat vehicles with smart IED Jammers

Airbus Defence and Space will equip vehicles of the German Armed Forces with an electronic system for the protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

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A spectral view of the Airbus Defense & Space VPJ selective smart jammer, engaging threats on specific frequencies, leaving the rest of the spectrum intact. Photo: Military Technology

The German procurement authority (BAAINBw) has awarded the Airbus Defense & Space a contract worth several million euros to supply 36 C-IED vehicular mounted jammers. The systems are of the type VPJ-R6 (VPJ = Vehicle Protection Jammer). The systems are intended to be integrated into protected vehicles of the German Armed Forces.

The VPJ systems use ultra-fast ‘SMART’ Responsive Jamming Technology developed by Airbus Defence and Space to substantially enhance protection compared to conventional systems. It detects and identifies radio signals intended to detonate roadside bombs. After detection and classification, it transmits real-time jamming signals, which precisely match the hostile frequency band, thus interrupting the connection between assassin and bomb.

Utilizing a modern digital receiver and powerful signal processing technologies, the system achieves reaction times of well below a millisecond. The system can engage up to 750,000 threat signals per second through all common frequency bands. Each threat can be detected and jammed each second. The jamming power is focused on the detonation signal’s specific frequency rather than being distributed over the whole frequency range, thus becoming power efficient and more effective. Selective jamming also means radio communications with friendly forces can be maintained throughout the mission, without compromising force protection of command and control.

This antenna array on top of the vehicle equipped with the VPJ jammer covers the entire spectrum of relevant threat frequency bands. Photo: Military technology
This antenna array on top of the vehicle equipped with the VPJ jammer covers the entire spectrum of relevant threat frequency bands. Photo: Military technology