INDIAN HEAD, Maryland –
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NSWC IHEODTD) officially announced the signing of a Title 10, United States Code, section 2474, Public-Private Partnership with Grey Ops, on Oct. 2.
Under this five-year agreement, NSWC IHEODTD and Grey Ops will jointly manufacture an explosive desensitizing agent known as Silent Spring. Silent Spring is a Liquid Safing Fluid (LSF) intended to desensitize primary explosive hazards, most commonly homemade explosives, to allow the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) warfighter the ability to safely move explosive materials, increase opportunities for forensic analysis, and minimize damage to existing infrastructure.
“This partnership will provide the first responder community access to this unique technology, and reduce the hazards faced by EOD personnel during explosive neutralization and removal activities,” said CAPT Scott Kraft, NSWC IHEODTD Commanding Officer.
This Navy patented technology has been in development since 2012. Laboratory and field testing was facilitated through collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Applied Research Associates. This partnership will provide the first responder community access to this unique technology, and reduce the hazards faced by EOD personnel during explosive neutralization and removal activities.
“These two organizations are leveraging each other's strengths and creating a better outcome than they could have achieved on their own,” said Tommy Luginbill, co-founder of Grey Ops.
“These types of agreements leverage existing capability and the transfer of federally developed technology also can have a positive effect on the greater scientific research community, the commercial sector, the economy, consumers and the public,” said Ashley Johnson, NSWC IHEODTD Technical Director.
NSWC IHEODTD received CITE designation in May 2014, for depot maintenance and military arsenal activities. This designation provides the legal authority for NSWC IHEODTD to enter into Public-Private Partnership (P3) Agreements for the development, manufacture, test, maintenance, and storage of energetic materials, and ordnance systems. To date, NWSC IHEODTD has entered into four P3 agreements with private industry. Active discussions are underway with several other companies and expect three to six more significant partnerships to be finalized by end of fiscal year 2020.
NSWC IHEODTD — a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and part of the Navy's Science and Engineering Establishment — is the leader in ordnance, energetics, and EOD solutions. The Division focuses on energetics research, development, testing, evaluation, in-service support, and disposal; and provides warfighters solutions to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit, and dispose of explosive ordnance threats.
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