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June 19, 2005

A new defensive weapon used in Iraq is Sparrow Sentry, a high powered microwave that will set off a blasting cap, and ignite a bomb, before the bombers wants to do it. Russia and Israel have similar devices, and there may have been some technology exchange in developing the American device. Sparrow Sentry is not a magic bullet sort of thing, as terrorist bomb makers can use other types of detonators, and you have to be careful zapping lots of people with high energy microwaves. But if you can stop more suicide bombers, you are saving lives, and discouraging the terrorists.

It's not known what connection Sparrow Sentry has with a similar device called JIN (which is also in Iraq). There are many development programs, to create equipment to defeat enemy bombs. Many are secret, until they enter service. Even then, details are, for obvious reasons, usually not released.