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Foster-Miller, Inc. today announced a $1 million contract from the United States Department of Defense Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate to further develop an advanced Boat Trap system designed to bolster harbor security in the U.S. and at military bases abroad. It is a joint development project among Foster-Miller, Vermont-based Moscow Mills Manufacturing, the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Boat Trap is a non-lethal, ballistic net that is deployed from a helicopter into the path of a threatening watercraft traveling at a high rate of speed. This net-based propeller entangling system ensnares the propellers of a target speedboat, causing the craft to immediately stop.
Port security and ship protection has become one of the central issues of the global war on terror. Recent assessments of U.S. port security, particularly with regard to the security of LNG tankers, cite a dangerous vulnerability to terrorists’ use of speed boats during an attack. The attack on USS COLE in Yemen demonstrated the powerful potential of destruction on ships vulnerable in port. The Boat Trap system provides an effective solution to allow responders to use non-lethal weapons to swiftly prevent a suspected attack when operating without positive identification on the aggressors.
Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA) said, "U.S. ports are the first line of our homeland security and defense - this critical technology provides a new level of protection to our ports, which we know remain high on the terrorists’ target list. This innovative technology has the possibility to save lives and prevent a potential disaster at a busy port."
“The men and women of the Coast Guard have an important role in homeland protection and ensuring public safety,“ said Congressman Delahunt (D-MA). Rep. Delahunt, who is also the Chairman of the Congressional Coast Guard Caucus added, “In this post 9/11 era there is no room for error when responding to suspected terrorist threats. The Coast Guard is often the first responder in our ports and must be well equipped to employ intervention tactics that protect not only our shipping commerce but also the innocent people who work and play on our harbors.”
The Boat Trap system planned for use by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy represents a new generation of non-lethal technologies that may be adopted by the U.S. military and other agencies responsible for homeland security and drug interdiction. It provides an alternative technology to defend against a perceived threat in a crowded harbor where stray bullets pose a threat to bystanders and infrastructure.
The Boat Trap system was extensively tested in 2005 including tests conducted at the U.S. Coast Guard Special Mission Training Center (SMTC) at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, South Padre Island, Texas, and at CAPEX demonstrations in Honolulu, Hawaii. The system stopped 100 percent of its targets.
According to Dr. William Ribich, president of Foster-Miller, “As a company located near a major port in a densely-populated city, we are acutely aware of the importance for protecting our waterways. We are pleased to work with the Coast Guard to develop better, safer tools to protect the public from dangerous threats.”
In a related announcement, Moscow-Mills Manufacturing of Moscow, Vermont, today announced that they will be working with Foster-Miller in the continued development, testing and manufacturing of the Boat Trap system.
About Foster-Miller, Inc.
Foster-Miller, Inc. is an engineering, manufacturing and technology development firm principally located in suburban Boston, MA on Rte. 95, “America’s Technology Highway.” It is certified to Aerospace Quality Management Standard AS9100 and has SW-CMM Level 3 software certification from the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Foster-Miller was founded in 1956 by three graduates of MIT who believed there was a need for a company that could solve clients’ difficult technical problems through first-class analysis and design. In November 2004, it became an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ North America.
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