AlliantACTION

target: MATRIX - SPIDER

MATRIX employs Vietnam era M18 Claymore mines, capable of "set and forget".

MATRIX
Matrix is a new landmine system designed to allow an operator equipped with a laptop computer to remotely detonate lethal and non-lethal Claymore mines by radio signal from a distance. The Pentagon has not made public what this distance is. Matrix is an adaptation of the technology developed under the Spider program (see below), in order to get it into the field as soon as possible. According to a State Department official, Matrix is a command and control system, and “not a landmine.”

A total of twenty-five Matrix systems were reported to be sent to Iraq for use by units of the Army’s Stryker Brigade by June 2005. (see story in USA Today)

Questions remain about the potential harm these mines could pose to civilians. Would a soldier be able to make a positive identification of his target from a great distance and could civilians themselves inadvertently detonate the mines? The original technology behind Matrix was designed with a feature, referred to as a “battlefield override switch,” that substitutes activation by the victim.

The U.S. Army Program Manager responsible for Matrix has stated the system relies on [unspecified] types of electro-optical and infrared sensors to detect intrusion, and on visual target identification, no tripwires are used. However, the operating distance for Matrix remains unknown, and thus concerns about visual identification remain. Moreover, it remains unknown if the Matrix system contains a battlefield override feature, and the Pentagon has not given concrete assurances that civilians cannot accidentally detonate Matrix controlled Claymore mines.

MATRIX, along with the SPIDER are a joint development of ATK and Textron Defense Systems.

The "mine" portion of the SPIDER. Note remote control antenna.

SPIDER
Spider is the result of the Non-Self-Destruct Alternative (NSD-A) program and the system consists of a control unit capable of monitoring up to eighty-four hand-emplaced unattended munitions that deploy a web of tripwires across an area. Once a tripwire is touched by the enemy, a man-in-the-loop control system allows the operator to activate either lethal or non-lethal effects.

Spider also contains a battlefield override feature that removes the man-in-the-loop and allows for activation by the target (or victim). In the words of the Pentagon, “Other operating modes allow Spider munitions to function autonomously without Man-in-the-Loop control (i.e. target activation), if necessary, to respond to the combat environment; the operator can regain control of the munitions at any time.” In an earlier report to Congress, the Pentagon stated, “Target Activation is a software feature that allows the man-in-the-loop to change the capability of a munition from requiring action by an operator prior to being detonated, to a munition that will be detonated by a target. The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Service Chiefs, using best military judgment, feel that the man-in-the-loop system without this feature would be insufficient to meet tactical operational conditions and electronic countermeasures.”

The first units were scheduled to be produced in March 2007.

The U.S. Army has spent $135 million between fiscal years 1999 and 2004 to develop Spider and another $11 million has been requested to complete research and development. A total of $390 million is budgeted to produce 1,620 Spider systems and 186,300 munitions.

MATRIX and SPIDER information provided by Human Rights Watch, the Department of Defense and sales marketing material from Alliant and Textron.