PALMDALE, CALIF. - August
11, 2010 - Delta Scientific, the leading manufacturer of counter-terrorist vehicle
control systems used in the United States and internationally, today announced
that its MP5000 and DSC7000 quick-deploy vehicle barricades will soon be used
to defend forward operating bases (FOB) in Afghanistan. A national emergency
DPAS (defense priority allocation system) order, issued as part of the Picatinny
Arsenal program to defeat IED's, for $18.7 million has just been awarded to
Delta Scientific. The first orders will ship later this month with deliveries
continuing through March, 2011.
"We are immediately
hiring an additional 40 employees and running two shifts to assure we meet the
parameters of this order, which will help save the lives of American and NATO
forces as the surge goes forward in Afghanistan," reports David Dickinson,
Delta Scientific senior vice president. "All of us at Delta Scientific
are excited about our continued role of supplying defensive equipment designed
to help provide safety and security to our troops."
In a recent event this past
April, a truck bomber attempted to crash through gates at the U.S. Consulate
in Peshawar, Pakistan but a Delta Scientific vehicle barricade was raised to
stop the attacking vehicle, saving scores of lives. The barricade survived the
explosion and continued to operate.
Built at the request of
U.S. Federal government force protection specialists for initial fast deployment,
the totally self-contained MP5000 is towed into position and controls vehicle
access within 15 minutes. Throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, such as at Camp Victory,
the 16-foot clear opening model is especially popular as large-tracked vehicles,
such as Strikers, can pass through the barricade. No excavation or sub-surface
preparation is required. Once positioned, the mobile barricade unpacks itself
by using hydraulics to raise and lower itself off its wheels. A DC-powered pump
then raises or lowers the barrier. The 12 foot (3.6 m) mobile deployable vehicle
crash barrier carries a K4 rating (M30 ASTM rating), stopping a 7.5 ton (6400
Kg) vehicle traveling 30 mph (48 kph). The 16 foot (4.8 m) version carries both
a K4 and K8 rating (M40 ASTM).
Installing in less than
four hours, the 12 to 30-foot wide (3.7 to 9.2 m) DSC7000 beam barricade meets
and exceeds multiple agency - DOS (US Department of State), DOD (US Department
of Defense), USACE ACP (US Army Corps of Engineers, Access Control Points) and
USACE EFO (US Army Corps of Engineers, Emergency Fast Operating) - standards
for closing time requirements and is suitable for applications where a fast-acting
K12 barricade is needed to provide security. By closing in less than a second,
an attack vehicle cannot speed through an opened barrier.
"A major concern was
that any vehicle barricades could be deployed quickly as installers are targets
for snipers," adds Dickinson. "Thus, these barricades not only help
protect lives after they are installed but safeguard troops during the actual
installation process as well."