US Military's Secret Terror-Tagging Tech

David Hambling over at the Wired.com Danger Room blog writes,

The story that the CIA uses tiny homing beacons to guide their drone strikes in Pakistan may sound like an urban myth. But this sort of technology does exist.

The military has spent hundreds of millions of dollars researching, developing, and purchasing a slew of "Tagging tracking and locating" (TTL) gear -- gizmos designed to keep covertly tabs from far away.

Most of these technologies are highly classified. But there's enough information in the open literature to get a sense of what the government is pursuing: laser-based reflectors, super-strength RFID tags, and homing beacons so tiny, they can be woven into fabric or into paper.

Inside the Military's Secret Terror-Tagging Tech (Wired Danger Room, thanks Noah Shachtman)

[Anonymous June 4, 2009 8:31 AM]

TTL much more commonly means "Time To Live". Then again, I guess you could say someone carrying one of these has a TTL value...

[Anonymous June 4, 2009 9:55 AM]

Transitor-Transistor Logic?
-- Lionel Brits

[Takuan June 4, 2009 10:06 AM]

the tech is wonderful, but there is also the possibility that this is a disinformation campaign to excuse the civilian drone deaths. This way they can blame the killings on locals on the ground dropping tags willy-nilly.

[bluej100 June 4, 2009 10:22 AM]

designed to keep covertly tabs

Good thing they didn't split that infinitive. Would have been confusing.

[Anonymous June 4, 2009 11:09 AM]

I thought TTL was "Transistor Transistor Logic," a kind of old-school semiconductor

[toxonix June 4, 2009 1:21 PM]

Why is there no caption on that huge circuit board? It doesn't look all that compact or concealable.
There is or was an effort to tag all munitions and equipment for logistics purposes. This would be all RFID type tags, but for larger munitions this could include much longer range beacons.
Small IR beacons can be used to mark targets. IR beacons are used all the time because MOST of the enemies can't see them.

http://www.morovision.com/mvnv_accessories/ir_markers/MVA-IR-15.html