Electronic bomb 'jammers' help protect convoys in Iraq
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. soldiers riding in convoys in Iraq are now relying on electronic "jammers" to help protect against the roadside bombs used by guerrillas.
It's unclear how widely the jammers -- the same technology that saved Pakistan's leader from a recent assassination attempt -- are being used in Iraq. Moreover, the technology isn't perfect: In some cases it only delays a bomb from detonating, so it can still explode afterward and kill bystanders.
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, acknowledged their use in testimony this week before the House Armed Services Committee, but he declined to discuss the jammers in detail. The military does not want to provide useful information to Iraqi insurgents, officials say.
The device works by preventing a remotely transmitted signal -- say, sent from a cell phone -- from detonating an explosive when the bomber presses the button. Depending on the distance, power and design of the jammer, some might prevent the bomb from going off. Others might instead set it off before or after the convoy passes -- potentially wreaking havoc on bystanders.
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Electronic bomb 'jammers' help protect convoys in Iraq
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