The shock wave-based acoustic sniper localization

Acoustic signals of small arms’ fire, the muzzle blast and the shock wave generated by a supersonic bullet in air are difficult to mask and can be exploited for localization of the hidden sniper. The problem is formulated for the curvilinear bullet path of unknown parameters (velocity and acceleration) in a system of nonlinear equations that can be solved numerically. A successful iterative solution is presented in a computed example based on technically feasible measurements of the shock wave arrival times at a system of nine omnidirectional microphones distributed in the protected area.