Pierce Manufacturing Inc. recently entered a joint agreement with Vital Probes Inc. of Mayfield, Penn., to construct a first-of-its-kind biowarfare defense vehicle for the U.S. Air Force.

Vital Probes announced the contract award today by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to build the Mobile Molecular Testing Laboratory for Brooks City Base in San Antonio, Texas. According to Vital Probes, it has been developing the MMTL for three years to "fill a critical gap in military force protection, rapid diagnostics, epidemiology and preventive medicine.”

Pierce has entered into a long-term agreement with the company to build the 31-foot vehicle that will contain Biosafety Level 2 and 3 zones and the latest and most advanced technology for biological warfare agent testing, containment and transport. Construction is scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and is expected to take a year to complete.

“A pivotal problem faced by armed forces and emergency response personnel is the transfer of suspect Biological Warfare Agents to approved testing laboratories. Use of the MMTL has the potential to prevent the loss of human lives and adverse effects to the economy by conducting those tests on site,” according to Vital Probes.

“The MMTL vehicle provides a unique solution to this problem by providing deployable laboratory facilities for onsite and early detection of BWA which will result in the rapid evacuation of affected population, containment of any biological agent present and application of appropriate treatment modalities to affected populations,” said Jim Parker, vice president government sales and homeland security at Pierce.

Vital Probes manufactures platforms for detection of biowarfare agents and probes that detect biomarkers for organisms such as anthrax. For more information, visit www.vitalprobes.com.

Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., a subsidiary of Oshkosh Truck Corp., is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. For more information about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com.