Foam-based Vehicle Arresting System

The threat of explosive-laden vehicles driving in close proximity to military installations has been a major concern since the attacks on the USMC headquarters in Beirut in 1983. The large quantity of explosive a single truck can carry combined with the sheer power of a heavy vehicle driven at high speed makes it a dangerous weapon and a challenge to stop without massive barriers. The ideal vehicle arresting system is mobile, concealed, and can be installed and removed quickly. Adherent Technologies, Inc. (ATI) has developed a number of extremely fast deploying foam systems that can fulfill these requirements. Based on these foams, ATI will develop a Foam Vehicle Arresting System (FVAS) in this Phase I project. It will consist of low profile containers, each containing enough foam base to generate several cubic meters of high-strength foam. The foam will instantly disable the vehicle by plugging all engine intakes and blocking the steering mechanism. The foam will then stop the vehicle by absorbing its kinetic energy. Lastly, it will leave the driver trapped inside an encapsulated vehicle, with no means of orientation. Depending on the threat situation, foam ejection can be activated by remote control or automatically through pressure sensor cables, radar, or light barriers.