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RETROSPECTIVE
2016

2016 was a busy year for us here at Cherry Engineering. It provided the type of technical challenges that are essential to scientific discovery and growth. One of the most obvious changes that you may notice is our new company website which was launched in August. While still very much a work in progress, our internally developed website aims to help us provide you with specific support and a convenient means to share our most recent developments with the EOD and explosive entry communities. We have big plans for the site in the coming year. Any feedback that you might have that will help us to help you is welcomed and appreciated. We will be posting regular updates to keep you informed on our research and development efforts, training opportunities, technical publications, and conference appearances.

RETROSPECTIVE
2016

2016 was a busy year for us here at Cherry Engineering. It provided the type of technical challenges that are essential to scientific discovery and growth. One of the most obvious changes that you may notice is our new company website which was launched in August. While still very much a work in progress, our internally developed website aims to help us provide you with specific support and a convenient means to share our most recent developments with the EOD and explosive entry communities. We have big plans for the site in the coming year. Any feedback that you might have that will help us to help you is welcomed and appreciated. We will be posting regular updates to keep you informed on our research and development efforts, training opportunities, technical publications, and conference appearances.

2016 presented the opportunity to further our partnership with the fantastic research efforts of the FBI Counter IED Unit Research Development Testing and Evaluation program (C-IEDU RDTE). This relationship has given us a direct conduit to provide the EOD community with cutting edge research on existing tool sets as well as aid in the development and technical characterization of novel tools and techniques. STB 2016-2 Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Impact Dynamics and Disruption Capability Study published in September of 2016 will be the first of many publications documenting the outstanding research cooperation of C-IEDU, NAVEODTECHDIV, HDS, and CE.

Last July, we were presented with a unique opportunity to celebrate the design of the weapons of the D-Day Invasion by demonstrating the efficacy of an iconic explosive system for the Smithsonian Channel’s series The Weapon Hunter. Tune in to the Smithsonian Channel as we invite Weapon Hunter host Paul Shull to gets hands-on with history in an exciting episode scheduled to air on March 12, 2017. For more information on the series, visit www.smithsonianchannel.com/weaponhunter.

Also in July, we were proud to support the IABTI 44th Annual International In-service Training Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia by presenting Emerging Threat Response: Explosive Entry & IED Defeat Operations. In a joint session by Chris Sr. and Chris Jr. various methods to advance explosive entry and IED defeat capabilities while addressing common misconceptions were examined including: explosive charge performance and deployment enhancement, explosive breaching hazards and mitigation, general and precise disrupt considerations, and response time improvement. Specific attention was given to explosive entry attack points, target failure mechanics and corresponding explosive energy requirements, required shock pulse profiles, and rapid deployment of both explosive breaching and render safe techniques while responding to complex time sensitive emergency scenarios. For 2017, we are honored by the request to present at the upcoming ITC this June in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Fall of 2016 provided many opportunities to perform testing, training, and launch of new explosive entry systems. In addition to the amazing opportunity to support the Atlas Forum Entry Training event in Helsinki Finland (for more information see the blog post here), we were proud to support the International Breacher’s Symposium hosted by Dallas Police Department. Chris Jr. presented DETAPOINTS: Target Composition, Shock Profile Requirements, Performance Testing, and Data Analysis. Chris Sr. provided subject matter expert support as a member of the discussion panel.

On range day, we supported the opening ceremony demonstration with a specialty linear flame wall system to simulate an incendiary IED. By using shock focusing techniques, we created a modular system for generating planar fireballs which give the illusion of depth while providing optimal user safety. At the symposium, we received several requests to develop a user loaded kit. If it is something that you would like to see in our catalog, let us know!

Video courtesty of Bill Nixon of Omni Explosives.
The symposium was the perfect venue to debut our new line of APEX Merrimac™ explosive entry charges which replace our APEX ID and GP 1.0 and 2.0 charges. The new charges have been streamlined to provide improved performance, operational flexibility, and increased load variations at a more affordable price than our previous offerings. On range day, the APEX Merrimac™ Gun Port Charge was successfully demonstrated on a double course 8 inch thick brick wall target. For additional information on the APEX Merrimac™ Gun Port Charge and Team Entry Charge, visit our updated product catalog.
APEX Merrimac Gun Port Charge Results

Finally, at the end of 2016 we did some testing using minimized NEW that yielded big results. While we can’t divulge too much at this time, the discovery is a breakthrough that provides a new way of approaching select explosive applications with specific benefits to manually and robotically emplaced explosive breaching systems.

We are excited to help you meet the challenges of 2017 by keeping you informed and equipped to meet the existing threats of today and anticipate emerging threats of tomorrow.