Vehicles getting blast-mitigation flooring

DENVER, June 3 (UPI)

Skydex Technologies and the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency have signed contracts for Skydex to install blast-mitigating flooring in M-ATV vehicles.

The purchase orders will allow DLA to have prepositioned replacement decking for 1,000 vehicles in service in Afghanistan, the company said.

"Our partnership with DLA is a major step forward for our continuing mission to make sure our fighting troops have the best possible protection available for all vehicles used in theater," Skydex President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Buchen said.

"We know that IED (improvised explosive device) blasts cause the great majority of casualties in Afghanistan and our decking significantly improves survivability for vehicle occupants."

The Skydex Convoy Deck has been installed in thousands of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the RG-31, Cougar and Oshkosh M-ATV. Last year, General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada ordered Skydex's blast-mitigating decking for 550 of its Stryker vehicles now in service in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, GDLS-C signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with Skydex to provide its Convoy Deck for 200 new Stryker Double V-Hull vehicles deploying to Afghanistan.

Skydex said independent testing -- done according to NATO's STANAG 4569 protection standards and thresholds -- demonstrates that Skydex blast-mitigating technology greatly reduces the threat of lower leg injuries by diminishing the force of an IED blast reaching personnel aboard an armored vehicle. The testing demonstrated that during a typical blast force without the Skydex Convoy Deck, vehicle occupants face a 100 percent chance of injury. Adding Skydex decking drastically reduces the chance of injury to about 10 percent, it said.