Blast Analyses for the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation

ARA developed the FAA Security Reference Manual to supplement FAA Order 1600.69 Blast Standard. The intent of this document is to give the user background information and guidance in the application of the FAA Blast Standard. This document provides non-blast consultants with information necessary to effectively interact with their blast consulting team partners, and it provides the blast consultant with clarification of the protection requirements for FAA facilities.

ARA is working with the GSA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the relocation of the DOT Headquarters to a new facility. ARA helped develop the design criteria for the project to include blast and security requirements. ARA is working on behalf of the government to ensure that the design meets DOT requirements.

ARA's Security Engineering Group participated on the FAA Headquarters security staff team in the blast assessments of the Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC's) in Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA; Salt Lake City, UT; and Ft. Worth, TX. In addition, we have performed blast assessments of the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) in Los Angeles, TRACONs in Boston and Dallas/Ft. Worth, the CERAP facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the ATCT and Automated Flight Service Station in Clearwater, FL. Our staff has also assisted with the security risk assessment of the National Network Control Center (NNCC).

ARA assisted the DOT in the development of the FAA blast standard and the new FAA Security Risk Management Program (FAA Order 1600.69). This included developing criteria for the design of protective glazing systems.

ARA assisted the FAA in the assessment and design development of FAA-owned and operated child care centers. These centers will provide protection from collateral blast damage if an attack should occur at an adjacent high value target. This includes structural design as well as the design of blast resistant windows.

In response to the terrorist downing of Pan Am 103, ARA's staff developed and tested blast resistant baggage containers for the FAA Technical Center. These containers (US patent 5,312,182) are currently being procured for operational in-flight service tests and will drastically improve the survivability of civil aviation. In addition, we performed hardening and structural dynamics analyses for airframe structures to determine their in-flight vulnerabilities to blast.