The U.S Department of Defense has announced on Thursday that Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Co. will compete for orders of $320 million contract for explosive line charge systems that allows safe breaching through complex antipersonnel obstacles.
EBA&D will compete for each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 4, 2024, for the Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System, according to a recent service news release.
U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
The Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System provides small tactical units with the ability to conduct clearing operations in urban and complex, mined or trip-wired environments; in covered or concealed positions. It is designed to assist in the clearing of a narrow footpath to a target by exposing, disrupting or neutralizing IED trigger mechanisms, while minimizing collateral effects on non-combatant personnel, structures and property.
The explosive line charge system is self-contained in a backpack designed for carry and deployment by one soldier. The system requires no additional special tools or equipment, however, a hammer, may be needed to secure the launch pad to the ground. Once the system is in place, a shock tube firing system will initiate the rocket and detonate the line charge.
