The Largest Contract in the History of Kärcher Futuretech: the Federal German Armed Forces Will Receive 73 TEP 90 Full Decontamination Systems
16 January 2007
In their battle against the threat of an attack involving NBC weapons, the Federal German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) will soon rely on 73 highly mobile containerised compact decontamination systems from Kärcher Futuretech. This decontamination equipment, which will be delivered to the NBC units, together with carrier vehicles from Iveco-Magirus, from 2007 to 2010, represents a new milestone in the history of Kärcher Futuretech. The total volume of the TEP 90 (site for the radioactive decontamination, disinfection and detoxification of the troops) is €86.6 million.
While the ink on the signed contract has not yet dried completely, the hot preparation phase is already underway. "This can be seen in the new 'state-of-the-art.' The TEP 90 sets a new worldwide standard," states Markus Kostron, responsible for the 'NBC protective systems' development department, to explain the far-reaching consequences of this mega project. The Kärcher Futuretech development division is working at full load in order to carry out the last modifications within schedule and to be able to present a completely mature product in technical terms. After the hand-over of the first TEP 90 decontamination system at the beginning of 2005, the Bundeswehr will receive two further systems by the middle of next year, prior to the delivery of a further 70 systems to the NBC defence troops over the following three years.
At present, the TEP 90 is the most modern and powerful system in this class, and is equipped with outstanding, leading technologies. The system distinguishes itself due to a chemical-free decontamination procedure. In addition, the driver's cabin, which offers enough space for four people, meets the latest requirements with regard to ballistic protection and mine protection. "This joint project of the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement, Iveco-Magirus AG and Kärcher Futuretech GmbH is an important contribution to the conservation of the defence-technological core capabilities in Germany," stated Kärcher Futuretech Managing Director Helmut Stelzmüller. With this large contract, Kärcher Futuretech extends its worldwide leading position in the area of NBC protection systems.
TEP 90 DETAILS
From a technical point of view, the TEP 90 represents state-of-the-art technology in this specific area because it uses the most modern decontamination methods and agents. It is highly mobile, can be deployed quickly and contains all components necessary for the mission-optimised accomplishment of thorough decontamination close to the contaminated troop.
The TEP 90 uses the most modern decontamination technologies and agents, e.g. the vacuum decontamination technology which has already been proven in the decontamination system for sensitive material, and the Decon Shuttle for the decontamination of the interiors of combat tanks, vehicle cabins, helicopters, transport aircraft, etc.
The performance spectrum of the TEP 90 includes the following main tasks:
- Decontamination of persons
- Decontamination of personal NBC protective clothing and personal equipment
- Decontamination of sensitive material
- Decontamination of large vehicles
- Decontamination of aircraft
- Decontamination of the interior rooms of vehicles and aircraft
- Decontamination of supply items and packaging receptacles
- Decontamination of road sections, plants and installations (infrastructure) to a limited extent
- Measures against infection and decay
The vehicle is equipped with an integrated hydraulic crane to make the system ready for operation in a short time without using external lifting equipment, thus ensuring the independent use of the whole system and individual modules, and fulfilling the functional requirements during operation. An appropriate basket for persons can be connected to the hydraulic loading crane by means of a quick coupling system so that all kind of vehicles can be decontaminated effectively from above.
The TEP 90 decontamination system is designed so that it can be used without any restriction at temperatures ranging from -30°C to +49°C. For the decontamination of the interiors of certain objects (e.g. tanks, helicopters, transport aeroplanes; plants, installations, etc.), a special, independently working system ('Decon Shuttle') is available, whose range of application can be expanded using either a vapour extraction device or a thermal aerosol generator.
In the light of the huge increase in ecological awareness, Kärcher has developed a new non-aqueous decontamination agent (GDS 2000; NATO supply no. 6850-12-366-1321) against chemical warfare agents with significant advantages compared to the known decontamination agents with regard to storage, handling, effectiveness, application and corrosiveness, as well as a clearly improved ecological behaviour.
It is manufactured industrially, is ready for immediate use, meets the requirements of water pollution class 1 (low hazard for water) and is biologically degradable. The complete detoxification of a combat tank requires, for example, only 12L to 24L of GDS 2000. The high decontamination efficiency of GDS 2000 against all relevant chemical warfare agents (including those with thickeners) was verified in a large number of laboratory and field tests carried out by WISABC-SchutzBw and other independent test institutes.
WISABC-SchuzBw and Kärcher jointly developed a new N decontamination agent (RDS 2000 radioactive decontamination agent) for the Federal German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). It is a biologically degradable liquid concentrate which also meets the requirements of water pollution class 1. It is sufficiently stable with regard to storage and ensures an optimal combination of conventional cleaning, decontamination effect and troop-friendly handling when being applied.
The newly founded Kärcher Futuretech guarantees future-oriented technological solutions for Kärcher customers all over the world – also in the NBC defence field.
