Biosecurity

Advanced Military Radar to Track Disease-Bearing Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have claimed more human lives than all wars combined – their infectious bites still cause more than 1 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

The insect plays host to a wide range of disease-bearing microorganisms, from malaria to newer viruses such as Zika. Controlling the pest is a major challenge, though, as they can come and go almost without a trace. Will a military technology solve this problem?

After decades of development, modern military radars can now pick up the echoes of small objects at an impressive distance. The US Missile Defence Agency’s sea-based X-band radar, for example, can detect a baseball-sized object from about 4,000km away.