Landmine Detection Becomes More Accurate.

A new, handheld landmine detector will enable soldiers to detect anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines more accurately, officials said. The lightweight system will fuse two sensor technologies: ground penetrating radar and metal detection.

CyTerra Corporation, based in Waltham, Ma., developed the technology after 15 years of research and development funded by the Army. David H. Fine, president of CyTerra, says the sensor combination will reduce false alarms associated with today's landmine detectors based solely on metal-detection technology.

The new detector has a target weight of seven pounds. The system includes a two-pound wand, carried by hand, and a small backpack containing a three-pound battery and a two-pound electronics unit. The Army's project manager for mines, countermine and demolitions and the Communication Electronics Command Acquisition Center at Fort Belvoir, Va., awarded CyTerra a $12.3 million contract for the engineering and manufacturing development of the detector.

One strong supporter of the effort is Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. "[It] will significantly enhance protection for our soldiers and provide urgently needed help in the massive task of eliminating the unexploded mines that are killing and crippling innocent civilians around the world," Kennedy said.