US Army To Buy Backscatter Trailers to Monitor Checkpoints in Afghanistan

Backscatter Truck Scan(click to view full) The US Marine Corps has been using them in Afghanistan for years. And now the US Army wants to get its hands on some. Some what? You may ask. Why backscatter van (BV) military trailers, of course. BV military trailers use backscatter x-ray technology to peer into vehicles and containers that enter and exist military checkpoints. The technology can detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs), people, and plastic weapons, among other things. The backscatter x-ray technology is similar to the full body scanners now being deployed by the US Transportation Security Administration at US airports. American Science and Engineering (AS&E) in Billerica, MA supplies the US military with both the backscatter van, which houses the technology in an inconspicuous delivery van, and the BV military trailer designed to traverse rugged terrain… The Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) said it had an “urgent” need for the BV military trailers for the rough terrain of Afghanistan and requested to bypass the normal competitive bidding procedures to obtained them. After receiving approval, the command on April 22/10 placed an $48.8 million order for 37 BV military trailers to monitor checkpoints in Afghanistan. In its justification [pdf] […]