AFPW News AlumiFuel Power's PBIS-2000 Accepted b
Post# of 144499
AFPW News AlumiFuel Power's PBIS-2000 Accepted by AIF Force Customer
2012-04-23 07:00 ET - News Release
CENTENNIAL, CO -- (Marketwire) -- 04/23/12
Early production stage hydrogen generation company AlumiFuel Power Corporation (OTCBB: AFPW) (the "Company") through its U.S. operating subsidiary, announced today that the Portable Balloon Inflation System (PBIS)-2000 unit has been formally accepted by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command following on-site training by a team of the Company's engineers last week.
The unit will continue to undergo on-site field testing by Air Force Special Operations weather personnel, followed by operational field trials in an overseas environment. Once the field trials are completed, the Company anticipates follow-on orders for the PBIS-2000 hydrogen generator and AlumiFuel cartridges from the Air Force and other potential customers.
The current weather balloon lift gas market is estimated to be $200 million per year, and encompasses military as well as civil government meteorological users worldwide. Traditionally, helium has been used as the primary lift gas for weather balloons, but with the increasing scarcity and cost of helium, users are rapidly switching to hydrogen, and the Company's PBIS family is far more mobile, safe, and cost effective than other on-site hydrogen generation systems. After purchasing any unit of the PBIS family, typical customers would continue to purchase replacement cartridges to launch up to 700 balloons per unit each year (up to 4,200 cartridges).
The President & CEO of AFPW's operating subsidiary, Mr. David Cade, said: "We were gratified by the positive response of Air Force Special Operations personnel to the PBIS-2000. Their universal reaction was that this is a far superior solution to transporting large helium or hydrogen tanks into and out of the field for weather balloon filling and launching activities worldwide."