Monday, February 9, 2009

DARPA deals $1.4M more to BBN for shot detector tech

By Brendan Lynch

BBN Technologies Corp. reports it has landed $1.4 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop an acoustic gunshot detection system for helicopters.

Under the deal, BBN will continue development of the DARPA-funded project, which began in 2007. Last year, BBN developed a prototype for Blackhawk helicopters. In 2004, the Cambridge-based company developed a similar system, called Boomerang, for ground vehicles and stationary assets.

Last September, BBN landed $3.5 million from the U.S. Army for the continued development of a wearable gunshot detection system based on Boomerang in partnership with the Natick Soldier Systems Center. In June, the Army’s Communications and Electronics Command ordered more than 8,100 Boomerang systems, along with spares and training services, at a cost of $73 million.

Known widely for developing part of the forerunner network to the Internet, BBN is a 60 year-old firm with 700 employees in Cambridge, Middletown, R.I., and five U.S. facilities outside New England.