New Delhi, September 18, 2005 (PTI)

Close on the heels of acquiring fire-finding radars, the Army is in the process of inducting a state-of-art Sound Ranging System (SRS) to locate explosions and hostile firings.

The system, currently deployed by the US, British and allied forces in "hotspots" like Iraq and Afghanistan, is a new measure to provide protection to forces engaged in urban warfare as well to give them speedy target information.

The Army, according to highly placed sources, has already held three rounds of validation trials for the system in which British Aerospace subsidiary, Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems, the French-German Thales and companies from South Africa and Israel have participated.

Selex and Thales have been shortlisted after three rounds of trials held in artillery ranges in the Thar desert. The sources said the system was being inducted to have automated, accurate detection of artillery, mortar as well as rocket-fire faster than ever before.

The system uses sophisticated acoustic detection technology to identify enemy artillery fire as well as to locate sources of explosions and hostile firing, they said.

"Acquisition of fire-finding radars and new Sound Ranging system is part of the artillery upgradation programme", the sources said.

They said the fire finding radars acquired recently from the US as well as Sound Ranging Systems were complimentary and could be used in tandem or separately.