US Army´s new handheld standoff mine detection system (HSTAMIDS)

The US Army launched a new program, called HSTAMIDS, to develop a handheld standoff mine detection capability for the dismounted soldier. This system will be comprised of active and passive sensor technology. Sensor integration will be accomplished using a high speed digital parallel processor; providing near real-time mine cueing and mine location data transmission to the operator´s audio and visual display. The envisioned system will allow “plug-and-play” operation, permitting use in a variety of environmental conditions and operational scenarios. The HSTAMIDS program is the next developmental phase of the US Army´s Close-In Man Portable Mine Detector (CIMMD) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) Program. During extensive field testing conducted by the US Army´s Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) in 1995, CIMMD technologies were evaluated against real metallic and nonmetallic anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. Results of the field tests showed that the CIMMD technologies met user requirements for continued development