Stopping Truck Bombers

Stopping Truck Bombers

Crash-rated barriers have long history with U.S. Department of State

Crash-rated barriers have long history with U.S. Department of StateVisit any U.S. Embassy throughout the world, including major embassies, such as Beijing, and smaller ones in Estonia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ivory Coast, Guatemala, Nepal, Lithuania and Madagascar, even consulates in Florence, Italy, Sarajevo, Vienna and cities in Germany, Greece, Macedonia and Saudi Arabia, and you will find them protected from vehicle assaults and some even from bio-attacks.

The following provides examples in which highly-secure, crashrated, vehicle barricade systems and bollards have saved lives as well as buildings and property from the destruction of attacks.

U.S. Embassy in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. In Tanzania, 1998, a crash-rated, moveable barricade prevented an attacker’s vehicle from entering the rear compound of the building, thus, reducing the loss of lives and damage to the facility. Unfortunately, no barricades were used at the embassy in Kenya when it was bombed the same day.

By September of that year, however, 14 barriers, including moving- wedge barricades and crash-rated bollards, were shipped to these two embassies.

Harry S. Truman Building. At the dedication of the U.S. Department of State headquarters, held in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 22, 2000, bollards provided a first line of defense by securing the diplomatic and congressional drive entrances.

These custom, stainless-steel bollards feature lights to improve visibility at night. They are designed to destroy the front suspension system, steering linkage, engine crank case and portions of the drive train of any 15,000-pound, non-armored or non-tracked vehicle hitting them at 62 mph. The system will also stop a 30,000-pound vehicle traveling at 44 mph.

These bollards are raised and lowered into the guard position by a remote controlled, precision, hydraulic power unit or a precision pneumatic power system. Under emergency conditions, the bollards can be raised in as little as a single second. And, with the exception of minor, non-structural damage, such as scratches, they are fully operational after taking a 65 mph hit from a five-ton vehicle.

Yemeni port of Aden. Just one month after the dedication of the U.S. Department of State headquarters and within hours after the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole at the Port of Aden, on Oct. 12, 2000, barriers were airlifted to Yemen for deployment there and at nearby, prospective targets.

U.S. Embassy in Yemen. At the most recent attack in September 2008, barricades were up protecting the entrance and keeping bombers outside the compound. These barriers tested at K54, which will stop a 65,000-pound truck, traveling at 70 mph. That’s 5.4 million foot-pounds of energy!

At the entrance to the embassy, the barrier creates a sally-port with a crash-resistant gate to tightly control traffic into the embassy. It is lowered to let in a car, while the gate in front of the car stays closed. The barrier in back then raises, and the car is sandwiched between it and the gate. Once searched and approved, the gate opens, and the car is allowed to enter the embassy.

U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Situated in the middle of one of the most volatile areas of the world, this embassy relies on a crashrated barrier to protect its facilities from the threat of terrorism. The barrier protects the compound from charging vehicles and creates a sally-port, similar to that at the Yemeni embassy, which tightly controls traffic into the embassy.

U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan. In 2010, barricades helped retain attackers by preventing a bomber’s vehicle from crashing past pedestrian gates, forcing the attackers to detonate a truck bomb far from the building. The barricades successfully stopped the attack vehicle away from the building and diminished the high-pressure shock wave of a bomb blast, saving lives and the property.

With more than 170 U.S. Embassies and Consulates in 130-plus countries, it is imperative to incorporate premier, perimeter protection that meets or exceeds U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense certification standards, while providing high-security in order to counter terrorism.

This article originally appeared in the November 2013 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Greg Hamm is the vice president of sales and marketing at Delta Scientific.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities