THE HAGUE, 30/01/07 - Dutch servicemen in the Afghan province of Uruzgan will soon be protected by so-called 'grenade stranglers'. The contraption consists of netting designed by technology institute TNO, to be suspended around observation posts.

According to its inventor Cyril Wentzel, the device is a breakthrough that was not easy to develop. As he told newspaper De Telegraaf, "The United States, the United Kingdom and Israel are also trying to develop it, but have not yet succeeded". TNO has applied for a patent for the netting and believes it can be put to countless uses. Protection of embassies and military vehicles are just two examples.

The net ensures that the so-called 'hollow charge' in antitank grenades cannot arise. "These grenades function in such a way that they explode, after which a charge of liquid copper is formed that can penetrate half a metre of armour plate. If a grenade pierces its way through the netting, its nose will become damaged, thereby preventing the charge from being released", according to TNO's Philip van Dongen. A strong protective barrier needs to be placed one and a half metres behind the net however, because the grenade can still cause considerable damage even without its hollow charge.

At the request of the Defence Ministry, the government-financed technological institute TNO spent almost two years developing the netting. "We carried out extensive tests in the Czech Republic and it is now functioning excellently. The nets are meanwhile ready for transport to Afghanistan", Wentzel states.

The Defence Ministry said it has ordered 200 nets (2.4 by 4 meters) for 1,000 euros a piece. The first nets will be in use in Uruzgan from end-February, said a spokesman.