Airbus Defence and Space won a contract from the German procurement authority, BAAINBw, to equip German Armed Forces vehicles with 36 improvised explosive devices (IED) jammers, the company said on Monday.

The contract is worth several million dollars. Airbus did not specify the contract value.

A VPJ-R Airbus Jammer. Photo: Airbus Defece and Space.
A VPJ-R Airbus Jammer. Photo: Airbus Defece and Space.

The jammers are of the type VPJ (Vehicle Protection Jammer)-R6. They are intended to be integrated into protected vehicles.

The VPJ-R6 uses the SMART Responsive Jamming Technology, which detects and identifies radio signals intended to detonate roadside bombs. After detection and classification, the VPJ transmits a real-time jamming signal to match the hostile frequency band, interrupting the connection between operator and bomb, the company said.

The system reaches reaction times of less than a millisecond. Upward of 750 billion threat signals in common frequency bands can be detected and jammed per second.

The VPJ method also reduces the impact on friendly radio communications.

“The jamming power is focused on the detonation signal’s specific frequency instead of being distributed over the whole frequency range, as is the case in conventional systems. In this way less energy is required, while the jamming effect is increased at the same time,” Airbus said in a statement.