Industry Notes:

a. Canadian Companies Donate to the Organization for The Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The Hague, February 9, 2001. Acton Rubber (a Division of Airboss), Irvin Aerospace Canada Limited and the Canadian NBC Alliance are pleased to announce a cooperative program in support of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose headquarters is in The Hague. The program marks the voluntary support provided by these companies to the OPCW in fulfilling its mandate worldwide, and involves the provision of Acton's latest personal protection equipment in the form of gloves and boots along with the Irvin world-leading CASCAD system for decontamination. This materiel and equipment is already used by government decontamination response units in many parts of the world.

Mr. Timothy Leach of Irvin Aerospace Canada Limited handed over the equipment at a ceremony at OPCW headquarter on February 9, 2001. Mr. John Makhubalo, Director, International Cooperation and Assistance, and Mr. Hassan Mashhadi, Head of the OPCW's Assistance & Protection Branch received the materiel and equipment on behalf of the OPCW.

When introducing Mr. Leach, Mr. Simon Doyon, Chargé d' Affaires at the Canadian Embassy in The Hague, complimented the Canadian companies and OPCW personnel involved in this initiative. He emphasized that the demanding and potentially dangerous tasks assigned to OPCW personnel require the best available technology and equipment to ensure their safety, and he was pleased to see that Canadian companies have been taking initiatives to contribute to the OPCW's efforts to free the world from the threat of use of chemical weapons.

For further details on the above, please contact: Mr. Louis E.F. Couvreur, Tel: 31-70- 511.13.41 and E-mail: couvreur@euronet.nl

b. Irvin Aerospace Canada.
Irvin announces the OPCW use of CASCAD and ACTON equipment and systems as per the Hague letter above in a.; and also confirms that in addition, Croatia has equipped their OPCW chapter 10 decontamination response unit with the CASCAD and BLASTGUARD system for use worldwide. This is the very same system in use in Canada, Sweden, the USA, Australia and the most recent Sydney Olympics.

LtCol Zvonko Orehovec and the CBMTS-Industry II "World Congress on Chemical and Biological Terrorism" confirm that they will demonstrate this units capabilities to the Symposium audience at Dubrovnik, Croatia on 23 April 01 along with a CASEVAC demo by the designated Swedish OPCW rescue unit.

CASCAD and BLAST GUARD are a joint development of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Defence Research Establishment Suffield, The Department of National Defence, Department of Defence and the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG).

CASCAD and BLASTGUARD were also deployed, as one of the many precautionary efforts, during the recent Republican and Democratic Conventions and in support of the Presidential Inauguration Activities by the US Army. This is in line with the actions taken by many governments in the recent past to help ensure preparedness during major events.

For additional information: Mr. Doug Eaton, Irvin Aerospace Canada at Tel: 1-905-871-6510, fax: 1-905-871-6534 and e-mail: DREaton.SAS.Irvin@FortErie.com

c. DuPont de Nemours Europe.
Scientists and engineers in DuPont in Europe have moved the boundaries forward in the search for the lightest and most easily wearable impermeable NBC personal protective garments. Tyvek® is the brand for a series of flashspun nonwovens: two derivatives used in chemical warfare (CW) protection are Tyvek® "C" which has an additional polymeric coating to provide a medium level of CW agent protection; and Tyvek "F"® is manufactured by laminating Tyvek® to a barrier film coated with a polymer and giving a high level of CW agent protection. DuPont has recently improved these Tyvek® materials in a second generation development. Special protective garments, which are well suited to the military in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare situations and for civil chemical weapon decontamination/emergency/contaminated site demilitarisation clear-up teams, are being manufactured.

Tyvek® "C" weighs only 81 g/m² and is used for the manufacture of a variety of coveralls and two piece garments: these are used in a number of roles; as a contamination avoidance protective suit or poncho; as an over-garment for temporary wear when outside collective protection; as an emergency stand-alone protective garment; and as a decontamination suit when worn over a vapour absorbent layer. The liquid penetration time against a thickened or unthickened liquid sulphur mustard challenge is in excess of 48 hours. There is a similar performance against vapour agents when in the form of a downwind hazard.

Tyvek® "F" is a stronger material, and provides far higher protection for its weight of only 115 g/m2 than any other comparable material - a medium size decontamination suit weighs just 446g. Tyvek® "F" is supplied in colour olive green or grey and has been tested with a range of known CW agents and showed a very high level of protection. The protection time against permeation by a vapour or a thickened or unthickened liquid, aerosol or vapour sulphur mustard challenge is in excess of 48 hours. Tyvek® "F" lightweight decontamination coveralls are in service with the US, UK, South African and several other Armies.

Contact address:
Dupont Engineering Products s.a.r.l.
Att. Dr Uwe Schonfelder - Military Applications Manager
L-2984 LUXEMBOURG
Tel: ++ 352 3666 5778 and fax ++ 352 3666 5021

Tyvek® is a registered trademark of DuPont

d. Graseby Dynamics to Provide and Support CW Detectors for UK Ministry of Defence.
Graseby Dynamics has recently been awarded a contract in excess of £3m by the UK Ministry of Defence Ship Support Agency - Marine Domestics, Detection, Monitoring, Steering and Stabilising Integrated Project Team (MDMS IPT), to supply just under 250 GID-2A Chemical Warfare detectors and support these and those already in service for a period of 10 years.

Graseby is to manufacture and deliver nearly 250 GID-2A's and has partnered with the MDMS IPT to provide a 10 year full maintenance and support programme for the new GID-2A's and the present 120 detectors already in service with the UK Royal Navy. To help facilitate the maintenance programme Graseby Dynamics will set up and run VMI - Vendor Managed Inventory. Additionally Graseby will provide location and fitting advice when the units are to be incorporated into new classes of ship.

In Royal Navy service the GID-2A is called the Ship Installed Chemical System Mark 10 (SICS Mk 10) and replaces the current SICS Mk 7 which has been in service for more than 25 years. GID-2A provides detection of current threat agents in the blister, nerve, blood and choking categories and can be reprogrammed for future threats. In addition it is uniquely designed to operate and survive in a maritime environment offering long, maintenance-free operating periods and low through life costs.

The GID-2A has been selected for, and is entering service with, seven other navies including the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Royal Swedish Navy. GID-2A will act as a detector providing warning of the arrival of chemical vapours both outside and within the ship citadel. Liquid contamination is hunted down with the world famous Graseby CAM™ Chemical Agent Monitor.

Asked to comment on the Award Nigel Day General Manager of Graseby Dynamics said "This award, coming on the heals of the recent MCAD (Man-portable Chemical Agent Detector) award, reflects Graseby's determination to remain at the forefront of this difficult field. We are delighted with the contract and look forward to continuing the close relationship we have established with the Royal Navy".

e. Another contract awarded Graseby: Austria Buys Graseby Dynamics Enhanced Chemical Agent Monitor (ECAM™)
Graseby Dynamics Limited has recently signed a contract with the Austrian Ministry of Defence (BMLV) to supply their latest version of the CAM™ the Enhanced CAM (ECAM™). ECAM originates from the SwissCAM, a product developed by Graseby in conjunction with the Swiss Defence Procurement Agency. ECAM incorporates a number of new capabilities to improve performance and ease operator workload from the standard CAM.

The contract calls for delivery in excess of 250 ECAMs to BMVL during 2001 and operator and maintenance training to be provided during the delivery period. This order follows a competitive tender and evaluations in both the field and laboratory by Austrian troops and NBC Scientists.

Graseby Dynamics is a company in the Detection and Protection Systems division within Smiths Group Plc.

For further details please contact:

Tim Otter or Vicky Oakham
Graseby Dynamics Ltd.
Park Avenue; Bushey
Watford; WD23 2BW; UK
Tel: +44 (0)1923 228566
Fax: +44 (0)1923 221361
general@grasebydynamics.com

01-1, issue no. 82