By B.C. Kessner
According to the company, the nets perform at levels equal to, and in some cases exceeding, bar armor solutions."The nets are obviously saving soldiers, and that's the best thing about it," Barrett said.The netting is also simple to install. QinetiQ has patents on a "super strength Velcro" used to mount the system, Barrett said. "If a soldier gets into an engagement, once he gets back to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) he can peel this net off and put on another one. For an entire M-ATV's worth of nets, you can probably put it all in a big Hockey bag."Terms where RPGNets could be more appealing than the alternatives include, size, weight, cost, and simplicity.Soldier testimonials have begun appearing in the press, providing glimpses of the effectiveness of the nets developed jointly by the company, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Office of Naval Research. One example described how a 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry vehicle patrol was ambushed recently in Afghanistan."There is a bit of a giggle factor at first, and we say, 'Really? Go shoot it,'" Bob Barrett, director, strategy and business development, QinetiQ Technology Solutions Group, told Defense Daily last week. "Once they do, it's like, 'Wow!'"The principle behind QinetiQ's RPGNets is the same that led to the rigging of standoff chain-linked fences around Vietnam-era tactical vehicles, and more modern slat armor solutions: keep the RPG from going high order and punching its shaped charge warhead into the soldier's vehicle compartment."The other piece is during the engagement," Barrett said. After a rocket propelled grenade hit, a section of netting typically loses only about 10 percent of its small cylindrical metal nodes, he said. "You've still got about 90 percent of the netting remaining, so you've got multi-hit capability," Barrett added.According to Barrett, the nets are installed at about half the standoff distance from the skin of the vehicles as compared to that of slat armor, reducing the overall profile of the vehicle.QinetiQ's nets are between 80 and 90 percent lighter than metallic armor systems. This opens up several classes of vehicles that until now could not support the additional weight of slat armor solutions, Barrett said. It also decreases the effects of excessive weight on a vehicle's drive train, fuel consumption, handling, and rollover risk, he added.However, competing systems based on welded brackets and steel rods could be caught in QinetiQ's nets when it comes to cost, weight, and performance, Barrett said at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.QinetiQ North America has not been able to talk openly about the capabilities of its net-based tactical vehicle system for defeating rocket propelled grenades (RPG), but word has been getting out that the simple, inexpensive solution is saving soldiers' lives, a company executive said last week."With RPGs, you're looking to dud the round...if you can deform it in some way it prevents the shaped charge from coming forward," Barrett said.Shaped charges are designed to detonate at a specific standoff distance from the warhead's charge to the target. The focused explosive energy compacts the charge's metal lining and shoots it forward in a high velocity jet. To penetrate armor as designed, the RPG round needs to hit the skin of the vehicle because the standoff distance is from the trigger at the tip of the round to the point where the shaped charge begins. Deflecting, deforming, or causing the round to detonate at a non-optimal standoff distance and angle increases the survivability of the vehicle and its crew.Barrett described the system's cost as significantly lower than that of bar armor."The worst effect of the insurgents' RPG fire was that I got my bell rung a bit," Army Pfc. Joseph Sweat from Smithville, Tenn., who was driving one of the above-mentioned 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry M-TAVs, said in the recent Army article published in Clarksville Online.Types of Fences include invisible fences, chain link, wood, cement or cinder block, wire, vinyl and any combination thereof depending on the terrain. The golden standard in fencing is chain link. It is easily available, can be installed by a moderate do-it-yourselfer and is cost effective. For the Border Collie, a dog that can jump relatively high, it is also cost effective and can be purchased in 5 or 6 foot high lengths. Chain link needs to be seated into the ground to prevent your Border Collie from pushing out under it. Unfortunately it is easy for a Border Collie to climb this type of dog fence. The same can be said for any wire fencing.QinetiQ has provided thousands of M-ATV kits, and the company is working on several variants of Strykers, Barrett said. "We have done kits for the French VBCI, and the Polish Rosomak...[and] we currently have a HMMWV prototype kit," he added.People who use fences made up of wood, iron or chain links often complains about rotting or rusting. Glass are easy to clean and easy to maintain. You will also not have to spend your money on painting or applying rust repellent on glass a fence which is must, year after year in the case of wood or iron. The use of glass fences is also increasing because it looks good and suits every house. The bending ability of glass is very helpful in providing attractive and amazing designs to the pool fences. This is the main reason why there are various attractive glass fences available in the market."If you get engaged and you've got barred or slat armor, now you're talking about welding, brackets, bolts...you've got to pull all that stuff off, and that takes time," he added.Although not usually diggers, the Border Collie should have a dog fence that sits on or goes into the ground. Make sure you have secure gates. Border Collie�s are problem solvers. If these little puppies want to get out they can easily figure out how to lift a latch. There dog fence also needs to be able to follow the terrain. If you have a 5 foot fence and a 1 foot mound next to it, a Border Collie may find it easy to jump over.
[Copyright 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]
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