Development of effective countermeasure equipment for suppressing radio-controlled explosive devices has long been high on the agenda, as methods and technologies being employed by terrorist networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. RDIARA (Ukranian Research and Development Institute for Ail-Round Automation) was set the task of designing an effective protection system against remotely-controlled mines right at the time when a Ukrainian military contingent was about to go to Iraq to serve as part of international security forces there. As is often the case, the time limit allowed for the RDIARA for that task was very tight. Exploiting its vast expertise in the electronic countermeasure area and also the designs already developed for earlier programs, RDIARA accomplished the task without overrunning the tough time limit.

The counter-radio-controlled mines system that later was used as basic design (the prototype) for the Garant ('guarantor') system was created and delivered to Iraq where it was tested in real-life combat operations. The device helped it to thwart a few remotely-controlled mine explosions that were to have damaged the Ukrainian contingent's vehicle convoy passing by. Remarkably, the mines did explode, but well beyond the envelope of the device mounted on one of the vehicles.

The prototype Garant, even though designed and manufactured under a heavy time pressure, turned out highly effective, having averted potentially lethal explosions and preventing materiel and human losses.

Based on the user feedback from Iraq, and using the prototype as basic design, RDIARA has developed a highly effective counter-radio-controlled-mine system. The system, later designated as Garant, is an upgraded counter-measure suite for jamming remote control channels. As compared to the basic design, Garant employs a wider bandwidth and has improved performance characteristics.

Garant is designed for the protection of mobile entities (such as vehicle convoys or lone vehicles in motion) and stationary targets from remotely controlled explosive devices. Protection is provided by disabling a mine or other type of explosive device to blow up. This is accomplished by setting up a powerful radio noise screen impervious to hostile radio transmission from remote control devices, using a bandwidth wide enough for all of the frequency bands employed in modern radio-controlled explosive devices. The noise screen is large enough to protect a moving vehicle convoy.

The Garant suite is comprised of three radio channel jamming units (designated BPRL-1, BPRL-2 and BPRL-3 respectively), each consisting of four jamming dispensers and a generic highly-productive flagpole broadband circular horizontal directional-beam aerial. Therefore, the suite employs 12 jamming dispensers (using a bandwidth of 12 frequency bands) and only three aerials.

Garant is a kind of a unique design that in its many aspects surpasses western-designed alternatives. The design offers considerable advantages over similar technologies. For the first thing, this is the number of aerials - the system's exclusive forte. The broadband flagpole aerials employed in Garant are what makes the design truly unique. As pointed out above, there are only three such aerials, and this is not coincidental. The point is that western-designed equivalents, for example some of the French make, employ dedicated aerials for each of the frequency bands (each radio transmitter, to be precise) - in all 12-14 aerials as compared to Garant's three. This provides considerable operational advantages, plus improved performance parameters in comparison with similar western designs. Such an efficiency within a broad bandwidth is accomplished by the use of dedicated optimized inductance integrators along the aerial's carrier component.

Secondly, Garant can be mounted on transport vehicles of all kinds (automobile, armored personnel carrier, tank and so forth), while foreign-designed equivalents (Russian, German or French) require a dedicated platform to be carried, with consequent inconveniences related to the need to assign such a dedicated platform to each vehicle convoy or even a lone vehicle. The Garant with a baseline equipment fit includes attachment hardware optimized for the KamAZ truck. The attachment hardware can be optimized for any vehicle type, depending on customer requirements.

Thirdly, Garant is easy to handle and does not need any specialist training to operate. Fourthly, is its less expensive than foreign rivals, and is not hazardous to operator's health. The choice of radiation power for the jamming dispenser is accurately balanced to minimize effects on operator's health and, at the same time, effectively suppress an explosive device's remote control channels.

Garant is claimed to have the following technical data:

• jamming frequency band - 20-2000 MHz

• type of jamming - broadband radio noise screen;

• jamming power - 220 watts;

• electronic countermeasure range (varies with parameters of radio channels being suppressed) - 75-5000 m;

• power consumption -12 volts;

• environment temperature range — -40°...+60°;

• mass of each BPRL radio channel jamming unit with an associated aerial - maximum 16.4 kg;

• length, width and height of each BPRL unit (not including aerial) - 358 mm x 358 mm x 117 mm.

Baseline equipment fit includes three power supply units for each BPRL. Power supply is provided by a standard storage battery container, each BPRL unit being optimized for power supply units of all available types or makes.

The state-run company Research and Development Institute for All-Round Automation (RDIARA) was founded in the Soviet Union in 1972 to become the country's pilot institution for the development of sophisticated electronic systems for special applications. This provided coordination between more than a dozen major Soviet research institutions specializing in electronic technologies. A number of items developed by RDIARA in the 1970-1980s are still operational with military forces all over the world.

After independence, RDIARA not only managed to retain its research and technological potentialities but even to augment these, becoming number-one designer of electronic jamming gear in Ukraine. The Institute is executing a number of contracts, designing and manufacturing electronic devices for both domestic and export markets. Among the company's most significant partners are related research institutions in the People's Republic of China (PRC), as well as that country's Ministry of Defense (MoD).

RDIARA is a specialist organization for the design and manufacture of electronic countermeasure equipment for jamming radio control channels and their components; radio control and radio direction finding systems and their components; and also position location systems for mobile sources of radio-frequency radiation in urban environments.

RDIARA also aims to expand into the market for mobile communication jamming technologies, using the work already done for the Garant. One such is a mobile communication jamming system designated Voyage, which is already operational with some regional branch departments of Ukrainian special services. Voyage is designed as an attache case with an embedded electronic countermeasure ministation. The system's aerial is hidden inside the case, unlike in foreign-designed equivalents where the aerial requires to be exposed for tuning. Voyage is also less expensive than similar systems originating in foreign countries. Voyage and Garant will be demonstrated at a special equipment exhibition in Kyiv, scheduled for June 2006.

RDIARA has also upgraded its earlier design, the Liman ground mobile countermeasure suite for jamming aircraft control channels, which is capable of suppressing modern re-programmable frequency communication devices to ranges of up to 200 km. Liman detects radio communication signals from air-based control stations out to 450 km, with a capability to identify objects being suppressed. Airborne communication facilities such as data and command receivers are reliably suppressed to distances out to 200 km, frustrating hostile aircraft coordination and targeting, even in initial airborne operation phases.

Beyond this, RDIARA specializes in the design of technologies for code cracking and jamming extended spectrum signals.