Smith & Wesson Security Solutions Announces Successful Certification Test of New Active Vehicle Barrier

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq Global Select: SWHC) - - Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, a leading turnkey provider of perimeter security solutions, today announced that the company's newly developed SW1900 wedge active vehicle barrier has successfully passed third-party certification testing to American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

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In an independent third-party crash test conducted on July 18 in College Station, TX, the SW1900 successfully met the ASTM F2656-07 M50 P1 standard. The SW1900 stopped a 15,000 lb. truck traveling 50 miles per hour with "zero penetration," meaning the truck bed did not pass the vertical plane of the barrier. Significantly for Smith & Wesson Security Solutions' prospective customers that have concerns that hazardous cargo carried by a threat vehicle may be ejected into their facility following an impact, the truck's payload remained in place during the test. Once the truck's crash-test wreckage was removed, the wedge was immediately cycled multiple times under its own power – requiring no replacement hoses or fittings, and demonstrating no hydraulic leaks or damage to operating components. Test vehicles were driven over the barrier following the conclusion of the test, demonstrating that the SW1900 could withstand an impact and remain functional.

Leveraging the experience gained by installing and maintaining hundreds of wedge type active vehicle barrier systems of various manufacture, Smith & Wesson Security Solutions engineers have designed an innovative wedge barrier that addresses many of the challenges experienced during the procurement, installation, use, and maintenance of traditional systems. The SW1900 wedge barrier has been designed to deliver the same quality, innovation, ease of maintenance, and reliability that hundreds of military installations, data centers, refineries, government agencies, and major corporate facilities have come to expect from the company's net-based GRAB® systems.  

The design of the SW1900 wedge barrier eliminates noise-producing chains and uses noise dampening technology to deliver measurably quieter operation than traditional wedge barriers, making the SW1900 well-suited for installations located near businesses or other properties that are sensitive to noise levels.

The SW1900 will be available in both hydraulic and electro-mechanical models which utilize the identical certified as-tested barrier structure and can be delivered in widths between 8' and 15'. It is well suited for applications at Embassies and other Department of State facilities, Department of Defense installations, Federal Agencies, and at commercial installations such as data centers and petrochemical processing plants. Barry Willingham, President of Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, said, "This is a milestone accomplishment for our company, and we are extremely proud of our development team for preparing a product that we believe will truly enhance our customers' security and operations.  The unique features and overall design of the SW1900 carry forward our tradition of quality and innovation in perimeter security established by the GRAB®, ODDS®, and other Smith & Wesson Security Solutions products in use today around the world."

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC) is a U.S.-based, global provider of products and services for safety, security, protection, and sport. The company delivers a broad portfolio of firearms and related training to the military, law enforcement, and sports markets, and designs and constructs facility perimeter security solutions for military and commercial applications. Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation companies include Smith & Wesson Corp., the globally recognized manufacturer of quality firearms; Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, Inc., a full-service perimeter security integrator, barrier manufacturer, and installer; and Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting firearms. Smith & Wesson facilities are located in Massachusetts, Maine, and Tennessee. For more information on Smith & Wesson and its companies, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor created thereby. Such forward-looking statements include those regarding the design, ease of procurement, installation, use and maintenance, the effectiveness, the performance, and the applications of our SW1900 product.  We caution that these statements are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include the ability of our SW1900 product to achieve its design, ease of procurement, installation, use and maintenance, effectiveness, and performance goals; market reaction to and acceptance of our SW1900 product; the introduction of products that compete with our SW1900 product; the state of the U.S. economy; general economic conditions and governmental and private sector spending levels and patterns; and other risks detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC, including its Form 10-K Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011.

Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
(413) 747-3304
[email protected]

Mike Yobe, Director of Marketing
Smith & Wesson Security Solutions
(615) 224-6469
[email protected]

SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation