Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)has unveiled its latest technology to fight against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). Known as the Counter IED and Mine Suite, the system designed to identify and locate mines and IEDs from a safe distance.

The system, which took two and a half years to develop, was created by Elta, on of IAI’s subsidiaries, at its own initiative. CIMS is a large, rectangular multi-sensor system that is places directly in front of armored vehicles, allowing it to search and destroy for hidden explosives from a distance.

“We tried to understand what slows down the advance of forces during maneuvers,” Ofer Sharon, the IAI project manager, told Ynet news site.

“We realized that the issue of IEDs was a central cause of delays. The system includes a firing position which can shoot explosive charges at the device to destroy it safely – for underground charges it will be easier to maneuver around them or call on engineering units from the convoy to disable them,” he added.

Typically, the IDF relies on D9 armored bulldozers to clear a path for troops and absorb most of the impact of mines and IEDs. However, Operation Protective Edge demonstrated that this is not always sufficient.

The CIMS system can be installed in nearly every combat vehicle and consists of two components: ADS (Above-surface Detection System) and MIDS (underground Mine and IED Detection System). It functions in all weather conditions and terrains.

The two-pronged approach to detection offers combat flexibility.  The underground detection system requires the vehicle to advance more slowly, only travelling 10 kilometers per hour (about 6 miles per hour), but the above-ground detection can be operated while moving twice that speed. According to the IAI, CIMS has a 270° radius.

“We believe operational tests would conclude by mid-2015 and production will begin in 2016,” said Sharon. The system is expected to cost several million dollars per unit.