ELF Landmine Detector Passes Bench Test Ahead of Schedule Says Loch Harris.

TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1999--

Dr. Henry Blair, noted Tucson-based physicist, turned on his ELF landmine detector today three weeks ahead of schedule and announced that the results "confirms the ELF core system functions, verifies the wavelengths chosen, demonstrates that ELF subsystems can discriminate in a somewhat noisy environment and provides data for the next step in ELF's development."

"The successful test of ELF, acronym for Eliminate Landmines Forever, climaxes more than five years of R&D by Blair, the investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the faith and insight of investors, and the patience of our stockholders," said Rodney Boone, CEO for Loch Harris, Inc. (OTC BB: LOCH) and its subsidiary, Chemical Detection Technology, Inc. (ChemTech), owner of the technology.

"It also represents hope for millions of terrified innocents around the world who walk their fields and forests in fear of an estimated 120 million abandoned landmines," he said.

Blair credited his development team for their dedication and sense of mission that brought the ELF test in early. Wade Poteet, chief scientist for Systems Specialists, Inc., which was recently acquired by Loch Harris to build the prototype, said, "I am unbelievably lucky to be one of the team exploring the potential range of ELF."

Blair said he had always had confidence in the science behind the prototype, "But it is still exciting to see your creation perform perfectly the first time you turn it on."

Asked for details of the test, Blair emphasized that the important thing is that the test demonstrated that ELF can "see" and discriminate. "The sample employed was silver and copper, actually a quarter," said Blair, "chosen because its spectral properties are equivalent to the nitro compounds found in explosives. This validated the excitation source characteristics and the responsiveness of the detector/sensor package.

"The core subsystems of the ELF prototype were assembled on an optical table," he said. "The subsystems were aligned to allow the quarter to be placed in the path of the source energy. The detector/sensor package was placed in the expected area of excited emission energy. Power was applied to the system, and results were reported on the data management computer. The expected spectral lines were reported on the data management computer," said Blair. "And since the sample fluorescence is known, this allowed measurement and validation of the efficacy of the design.

"This step did not engage any range or spatial issues," Blair added. This early success, said Boone, allows ChemTech to schedule additional significant live nitrate tests in the United States to "shake it down" prior to going to Croatia for a previously announced bench test. Boone and Dr. Blair leave September 30 for an international landmine conference in Slovenia. "We are pleased that we can now go with hard evidence of ELF's viability," Boone said. While there, the team will review test data with Croatia officials to finalize plans for lab tests at the Ruder Institute. Further information about the ELF landmine detector may be seen at the Loch Harris Web site -- http://www.lochharris.com.

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