U.S. orders more blast-mitigation flooring

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DENVER, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Skydex Technologies, a manufacturer of blast-mitigating materials, has received new U.S. contracts for M-ATV vehicle flooring.

The eight awards from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency are worth $600,000.

Earlier this year, DLA placed orders valued at more than $1 million to have pre-positioned Skydex convoy decking in place for 1,000 vehicles in Afghanistan.

Independent testing demonstrates that Skydex blast-mitigating technology greatly reduces the threat of lower leg injuries by diminishing the force of an improvised explosive device blast reaching personnel aboard an armored vehicle.

During a typical blast event without the Skydex Convoy Deck, vehicle occupants face a 100 percent chance of injury, the company said. Adding Skydex decking reduces the chance of injury to about 10 percent.

"We are committed to working with DLA to make sure our troops have the best possible protection in all vehicles used in theater," said Skydex President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Buchen.

"IED blasts still cause the great majority of casualties in Afghanistan, a fact that drives our continued research and development to further enhance our product's ability to improve survivability for vehicle occupants."

The Skydex Convoy Deck has already been installed more than 13,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, including the RG-31, Cougar, Stryker and Oshkosh M-ATV. The product is standard equipment in new Oshkosh and GDLS-C M-ATVs.