By James Smith
With the odd purchases of ammunition by the Department of Homeland Security, I decided to see what else they have purchased. To my surprise a solicitation for a flexible explosive was posted. This explosive is known as Prima Sheet. Prima sheet comes in two styles:
Prima Sheet 1000 is PETN based, and Prima Sheet 2000 is RDX based. Both are water resistant high explosives and this material is available to the US military.
And, according to the manufacturer, Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company the materials uses are:
• Breaching
• Military demolition
• Ordnance disposal
• Metal hardening
• Metal forming and welding
• Skin severance charge
With regards to breaching, the information sheets state:
Demolition/Breaching – PRIMASHEET® 1000 is an excellent tool for general demolition applications. It can be easily cut to any desired shape and applied with adhesive or incorporated into a charge holder. The flexible sheet can be applied as strips directly on a the target or used to improvise linear shape charges.
Demolition/Breaching—PRIMASHEET® 2000 has a higher density than C-4, is unaffected by charge manipulation, and therefore offers a more consistent performance in all standard applications. It can be easily cut to a desired shape and applied with adhesive or incorporated into a charger holder.
What was lacking in the solicitation was the quantity required, budget requirements, shipping dates, and other pertinent information a business would require to know in order to put forth a bid. Here is a screen capture of the solicitation request:
So I sent a letter to the point of contact, Delisa Y Corbett. And this was the email I sent:
“Hello Ms. Corbett,
The solicitation listed above did not state the quantity of the Prima Sheet, nor the type (type 1000 or type 2000).
Could you send me the PDF of the specifications?
Thank you.
James Smith”
I never received a response.
