Man-Portable Vehicle Barrier

There is a need at U.S. Navy and other armed service facilities for improved vehicle barriers which can be deployed quickly. These barriers, or vehicle disabling devices, must reliably stop vehicle threats from entering secure zones. This Phase I project will de- fine explicit performance criteria for barriers in this applica- tion, characterize existing methods, and develop new barrier and disbabling device concepts. Existing barrier methods include massive obstructions and tire deflation devices, neither of which meets project objectives. New concept development will focus on lightweight designs which engage, trap, and/or disable vehicle threats. The designs will include passive and active versions, active versions being actuated by a guard or sensor, and which allow selected vehicles to pass. Promising barrier methods from among state-of-the-art and new concept approaches will be briefly analyzed and given a comparative evaluation. A single best design will be selected for further development. This design may incorporate attributes from both state-of-the-art approaches and newly generated concepts. A demonstration model of this design will be fabricated and tested during Phase I. The concept design and demonstration model will provide a foundation for successful prototype development in Phase II.