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(Pocomoke City, Maryland – Aug. 21, 2006) -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in conjunction with the U.S. Army, has awarded a Phase II program valued at approximately $15 million to Hardwire, LLC to further develop Hardwire's proprietary HD Armor systems for various critical military applications.

Hardwire has been awarded an agreement to develop and scale improved vehicle protection that is lighter weight than existing armor systems. Work will be performed in Pocomoke City, Md., and will be completed by December 2007. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the contracting agency.

"We are honored to be selected for this program, and our industry team is committed to scaling the armor solutions and continually improving them," states George C. Tunis, Chairman and CEO of Hardwire LLC. "From the start, we have treated the program as if our children or relatives were the ones fighting overseas. Everyone on our team has friends or family engaged in the conflict. Working in a no-rules, no excuses entrepreneurial environment, the Hardwire team worked hand-in-hand with DARPA and the Army to develop a world class, low cost, hybrid metallic-composite solution that can take the pounding of battle field conditions at greatly reduced weights when compared to current systems."

"DARPA has a continuing commitment to investigate approaches that will provide high-performance, lightweight, affordable ballistic protection for our deployed forces," noted Dr. Leo Christodoulou, DARPA Program Manager.

The DARPA Phase II effort is at the core of Hardwire's broader armor and structural reinforcement efforts. Spin-off products from the DARPA Phase I program are being used by the Army Corps to protect large military building assets in Iraq. Additionally, Hardwire HD Armor is being used in a variety of Homeland Security applications to protect critical infrastructure in high-profile metropolitan areas.

DARPA is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense (DoD). It manages and directs selected basic and applied research and development projects for DoD, and pursues research and technology where risk and payoff are both very high and where success may provide dramatic advances for traditional military roles and missions.

About Hardwire, LLC
Hardwire, LLC (www.hardwirellc.com) produces proprietary and unique high-tensile steel reinforcements and unique valued-added products for a variety of advanced composite applications. Hardwire® products can be found in blast-resistant structures, automotive composites, infrastructure armor solutions, marine laminates, concrete repair retrofits and flooring, storm resistant structures, ballistic-resistant panels, reinforced piping, and many other applications. John H. Hammond at john.hammond@hardwirellc.com or 410-957-3669 or 443-235-1200 (mobile)