GS ENGINEERING, INC. SBIR Phase I Award, April 2019

Expeditionary airfields (EAF) provide the US military with flexibility in operations and strategy. The Marine's Wing Support Squadron and Navy Mobile Construction Battalions are tasked with rapid deployment and operation of expeditionary airfields in any feasible location around the world. AM-2 matting is the base upon which the entire EAF system rests. Large quantities of these mats are required to construct each expeditionary airfield. When the MATPACs arrive on site and are cut open, the banding is discarded. The banding itself costs EAF $1.37 million annually, not including the logistical burden of handling large volumes of waste in expeditionary environments. Improvements to the MATPAC packaging system will relieve the budgetary and logistical burden associated with handling large quantities of steel banding, resulting in a more capable and agile fighting force. With tools and expertise in structural analysis and mechanical design, along with a track record of bringing innovative and practical solutions to challenging technical problems for the US military as well as commercial clients, GS Engineering is the ideal partner to develop and commercialize the reusable MATPAC packaging system with and for the US Marine Corps.