PRESSURE (SYRINGE) VOIED
This is another example of a VOIED that incorporates a normally open switch, this time using a medical syringe. When the victim steps on the syringe it depresses and the two contacts come together, electrical current flows and the IED functions. In this example all components are co-located making it relatively easy to find with a detector.
Medical syringe
Electrical contacts
Electric detonator
Power source
HME
Image 5. Pressure switch consisting of an electrical contact inside a medical syringe
CRUSH WIRE
This type of pressure switch has been commonly encountered in the Middle East. It uses lacquer coated copper wire with multiple small electrical contacts, wired in parallel, that are mounted on soft tubing. As the switches are in parallel, when any of them are depressed, and the connection is made, the IED will function. They can be hard to detect visually and they have a low metal signature making them even harder to detect by other means. The length of the multi-switch wire can easily be made long enough to cross a whole road or more.
Surgical tubing forming two electrical contacts
Copper wires
Image 6. Example of a crush wire switch. Note: these two copper wires would be covered with a lacquer insulation, which is removed at the point where it is wrapped around the surgical tubing in order to form two electrical contacts
IED tactics
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