Russia Reveals Scanner That Can See Through Walls

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Military engineers in Russia keep coming up with exciting new pieces of technology, and now a team has unveiled a scanner that means enemy soldiers may have nowhere to hide.

As part of an ongoing effort to modernize its armed forces, Moscow is investing heavily in new technologies. Alongside next generation battle tanks, fighter jets and attack submarines, engineers have now unveiled a scanner that can see through walls, according to Sputnik News.

Nowhere to hide from new Russian scanners

The original article was published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (RG), which details how the scanner is part of Russia’s display at the 19th Milipol Worldwide Exhibition of Internal State Security in Paris from November 17-20. According to the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Moscow sent 84 different pieces of military technology for display at the exhibition.

Two of those devices were scanners with the ability to see through walls. One model weighs just 0.6 kilograms and can penetrate walls from up to 14 meters away, while the second weighs 4.5 kilograms but has a range of 20 meters.

According to the report the scanners are capable of detecting the movement of people and even their breathing. They are the first devices to show these kind of capabilities. Other scanners at the show can detect burial sites, buried weapons and tunnels.

Suicide bomber scanner also on display at Milpol

Another device unveiled by Russian manufacturers can remotely detect suicide bombers. “We have a device that can remotely detect a suicide belt called ‘Anker-R.’ This prototype is capable of identifying the suicide belt on a person at a distance of five to six meters [16-19 feet],” YUTTA Chief Executive Vladimir Tkach told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

The device looks simple: a portable flat screen with wireless headphones. However it uses the electromagnetic field emitted by the explosives on the suicide belt to detect its target. One limitation is that the device cannot detect shell-less explosives, but Tkach says that most suicide belts do use shell explosives because of their increased destructive power.

According to Tkach Egyptian visitors to Milpol have already expressed an interest in the device, which is expected to retail for around $1,500.

Milpol is a show for weapons, armament and surveillance technologies marketed to national governments in order to control their populations. Security at the event was increased in the aftermath of last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris which left at least 132 people dead.

Armaments trade show breeds cooperation

The international trade show on internal state security features 950 companies from 54 states around the world, 13 of which are Russian. They will display models of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle, the BTR-80A armored personnel carrier, the SPM-2 GAZ-233036 Tigr (Tiger) high-mobility multipurpose military vehicle, the Ansat light multipurpose helicopter, the Mangust (Mongoose) high-speed patrol boats and the Murena-E assault hovercraft.

Citing the worsening geopolitical situation, the head of the Russian state arms exporter claimed that Russia is looking to jointly develop new technologies. “We’re open for close interaction with all parties interested in cooperation, including with European partners,” said Rosoboronexport Security Department Head Valery Varlamov.

One potential partnership to come out of Milpol concerns a mine-detecting device. “There was a very interesting contact with the German firm Ebinger. There is a specific offer for a joint development of mine detection equipment. We agreed that in the middle of the coming year when we would get the experimental results, we would communicate and clarify mutual technical position to manufacture a joint device,” said UTTA Protection Group CEO Tkach.

Russia keen to sell more military technology

The value of anti-terror devices exported from Russia has increased in the past ten years. “Anti-terror means account for 4% of Rosoboronexport’s total portfolio. If we look at the volume of these means, which the company exported 10 years ago, it also made up 4%. However, the share of these means in terms of their value has increased,” said Varlamov.

According to reports Rosoboronexport has $13 billion in total volume of deliveries, which means anti-terror devices account for approximately $520 million of the company’s portfolio. Russia continues to be one of the world’s largest arms exporters, and recently signed a deal with Iran for the sale of the S-300 missile system.

At the same time Moscow is currently negotiating a package with India that could be worth up to $3 billion. Low world oil prices, a devalued ruble and continued Western economic sanctions mean that Russia is more reliant than ever on selling military technology in order to keep its economy afloat.

The Russian military-industrial complex appears to be as healthy as ever, producing new technologies for armed forces around the world.

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