The U.S. Army is receiving new self-powered chemical biological protective
shelters, which will no longer be reliant on Humvee trucks for energy.
These self-contained, environmentally controlled, and contamination-free work
areas are being manufactured by Engineered Support Systems Inc., of West Plains,
Mo. They are intended to serve as medical aid stations, field command posts
and emergency facilities. The company said the Army made wide use of similar
shelters in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Improvements in the new shelters include the elimination of hydraulic components
of the power system, a reduction in noise when deployed in a tactical environment,
additional space for medical or other support equipment, digital rather than
analog controls, and the potential to use other vehicles or weapons platforms
to transport the system.