Independent Protective Design Engineering for Vehicle, Blast and Drone Threats

PNH protects people, assets and critical infrastructure against vehicle ramming, blast, drones, stored explosives and armed attack. We define the threat first, then engineer only the protection the site needs.

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SDVOSB, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small BusinessCalifornia SBE and DVBE certified, No. 2034487U.S. Air Force Veteran ownedSBA-certified SDVOSB (VetCert)
CA SBE/DVBE No. 2034487Independent and engineer-led
We do not make, sell or install barriers or protective productsReply in 1 business day
Fixed-fee proposal in 5 business days

Ten Services. One Protective Strategy.

Most sites face more than one threat. Each PNH service is led by the same engineer, so the layers work together.

Engineer seen from behind holding a tablet at the edge of a facility access road, looking toward a fenced entry with a barrier arm.
SERVICE 01

Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

What could happen at a site, how likely it is and how bad it would be, with measures ranked by risk reduced per dollar.

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Low-angle view of a row of steel bollards along the edge of a paved entrance plaza in front of a glass building.
SERVICE 02

Hostile Vehicle Mitigation

Every credible approach route, the speed a vehicle can reach at each barrier line, and the tested rating that stops it.

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Close detail of a deep steel window frame with laminated glass and heavy anchor bolts fixing the frame into a concrete wall opening.
SERVICE 03

Blast-Resistant Engineering

Blast loads defined, and structure, envelope and openings designed to the agreed level of protection.

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Reinforced concrete test panel in a steel frame at an outdoor test range, its face pitted by fragment impacts with a spalled corner showing rebar.
SERVICE 04

Blast, Fragment and Impact Analysis

What strikes a structure besides the pressure wave: fragments, debris, direct impact and secondary fire.

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Steel frame canopy with heavy wire mesh roof spanning over a high-voltage power transformer in a gravel equipment yard.
SERVICE 05

Passive Anti-UAV Protection

Passive protection that keeps a drone-delivered payload away from the equipment a facility depends on.

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Earth-covered magazine with a concrete headwall and closed steel double doors set into a grassed earth mound.
SERVICE 06

Explosives Safety and Site Planning

Siting, sizing and verification of facilities that store or process explosives.

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Cutaway render of a below-grade reinforced concrete vault containing a cylindrical steel flywheel containment vessel under a heavy steel lid.
SERVICE 07

Containment and Protective Enclosures

Enclosures that contain fragments and control blast pressure, so an accident in one room stays in that room.

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Low-rise office building set back behind a landscaped standoff zone with a bollard line and a vehicle entry with a wedge barrier.
SERVICE 08

Antiterrorism and Force Protection

Military and federal facilities brought into compliance with antiterrorism criteria, through submittal and review.

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Windowless data hall at dusk behind an anti-climb fence and crash-rated bollards, with perimeter lighting on.
SERVICE 09

Data Centers and Critical Facilities

Perimeter, entries and the rooms that hold the critical equipment, for operators who cannot take an outage.

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Engineer seen from behind measuring a bent steel bollard and cracked foundation on a concrete test track.
SERVICE 10

Forensic Engineering and Expert Witness

When a barrier, structure or perimeter fails, we find out why and explain it clearly.

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Desk with a bound engineering report, a stack of structural drawing sheets showing line work, a scale ruler and a pen.
CONTRACTORS

Pre-Bid and Tender Support

Blast, impact and vehicle mitigation packages your estimators can price from, delivered to the tender date.

Learn more →NOT SURE WHERE TO START?

Send Us the Site and the Deadline

A short note is enough. PNH recommends the right scope and replies within one business day.

Start a conversation →
Which service addresses which threat
Service-to-threat matrix: which PNH services address vehicle ramming, vehicle bomb, person-borne bomb, drone, stored explosives, equipment burst and active assailant threats Matrix of ten PNH services and training against seven threats, with primary and supporting focus marked. Service Vehicle ramming Vehicle bomb Person- borne bomb Drone payload Stored explosives Equipment burst Active assailant 01 Threat, vulnerability and risk 02 Hostile vehicle mitigation 03 Blast-resistant engineering 04 Blast, fragment and impact 05 Passive anti-UAV protection 06 Explosives safety and siting 07 Containment and enclosures 08 Antiterrorism and force protection 09 Data centers and critical facilities 10 Forensic and expert witness Training and workshops Primary focus Supporting Not in scope Indicative. Each engagement is scoped to the threats agreed for the site.
Indicative focus of each PNH service across seven threats; every engagement is scoped to the threats agreed for the site.
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Why Independence Matters

A barrier, a blast door or a protective net should be chosen because the threat requires it, not because someone sells it. PNH does not make, sell or install barriers or protective products, and never specifies a product it has a stake in. Our specifications describe the performance a site needs, so qualified suppliers can compete on the same terms.

Protection Comes in Layers

Each layer buys time or takes energy out of an attack. PNH sizes each one to the threat that can actually reach it: visible deterrence at the outer zone, standoff that reduces blast and limits speed, tested barriers that delay, structure that withstands, and passive protection above where a drone could bypass the ground layers.

PNH engineers the delay and withstand layers and coordinates them with the deter, detect and response measures others provide.

Our approach
Protection in layers
Protection in layers: deter, reduce, delay, withstand and protect above, shown in plan around a protected building Plan schematic. An outer zone, a tested barrier line with a controlled entry, standoff to the building, a hardened envelope, and passive protection above. A hostile vehicle path is stopped at the barrier line. Protected building Standoff 1 2 3 4 5 1 DETER Outer zone Visible, controlled approaches that discourage hostile planning. 2 REDUCE Standoff Distance cuts blast load; layout limits vehicle speed. 3 DELAY Tested barrier line Rated barriers and a controlled entry matched to the vehicle and speed the approach allows. 4 WITHSTAND Envelope and structure Walls, glazing and openings designed to the agreed level of protection. 5 PROTECT ABOVE Passive screens and roofs Where a drone could bypass the ground layers. Hostile approach (illustrative) Barrier line Active barrier at entry Schematic. Not to scale. Not for design.
Each layer buys time or takes energy out of an attack; PNH sizes each one to the threat that can actually reach it.

Why Owners, Agencies and Contractors Choose PNH

Independent: balanced, impartial evaluation of generic barrier products

Independent

We do not make, sell or install barriers or protective products. Every recommendation rests on the site's needs.

Engineer-led: drawing sheet with wall section, engineer seal and scale

Engineer-led

PNH's Chief Technical Officer, a PhD, PSP engineer, leads the design basis, the analysis and the technical meetings.

Tools we wrote ourselves: workstation with code and a plan-view analysis

Tools we wrote ourselves

CORDON, VECTOR, VECTOR-D and an in-house blast response tool, so every number traces back to its inputs.

Fixed fee, agreed scope: three phases, each with defined deliverables and a fixed fee

Fixed fee, agreed scope

Each phase is fixed-fee with defined deliverables and capped revisions. A 100% satisfaction guarantee on agreed scope.

Confidential by default: safe with a sealed project folder

Confidential by default

A mutual NDA before documents are shared. Client identities and project details are never disclosed.

Fast turnaround: stopwatch over a site plan sheet

Fast turnaround

A reply in one business day, a proposal in five, and pre-bid packages delivered to the tender date.

Engineering Tools We Wrote Ourselves

Proprietary software built by PNH, so every result in a report can be traced to its inputs.

CROWDED-PLACE SECURITY RISK ANALYSIS

CORDON™

Which threats matter here, and how much? CORDON grades a crowded place on one scale, from AAA to D, for risk to life and financial loss across nine attack modes. It names the drivers behind each grade and ranks the measures that improve it the most.

Learn more →VEHICLE VECTOR ANALYSIS

VECTOR™

How hard can a vehicle hit the line? VECTOR models the whole approach route, including bends, run-up length, surface grip and powertrain limits, and solves the speed a hostile vehicle can reach at each barrier line.

Learn more →MULTI-IMPACT DELAY SCREENING

VECTOR-D™

How long will the line hold? A crash rating describes one impact. A determined attack can bring many. VECTOR-D estimates how many deliberate, repeated impacts a rated line can take under stated assumptions, and converts that into a delay band to compare with the response time.

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Screening tools inform the design. An engineer-reviewed report decides it.

17+years of protective design experience behind each project
10service lines, one technical lead
1business day to a reply
5 daysto a fixed-fee proposal after the first call

Sectors We Serve

A modern low-rise government office building with a deep landscaped setback, low planter walls and a row of fixed bollards at the entry plaza

Government and defense

Federal civilian facilities and military installations.

A high-voltage outdoor substation detail: an oil-filled power transformer with radiator fin banks and tall bushings behind a plain chain-link security fence

Energy and utilities

Power generation, transmission, oil and gas, water.

The exterior of a large windowless data center building with a generator yard and a crash-rated perimeter fence line

Data centers

Mission-critical facilities with no tolerance for downtime.

The exterior concourse of a large modern stadium or arena on an event day, with protective planters and bollards at the pedestrian approach

Venues and crowded places

Stadiums, arenas, malls, plazas, hospitality and events.

An airport terminal departures curb with a protective bollard line between the roadway and the pedestrian sidewalk

Transportation

Airports, transit and rail facilities.

An earth-covered explosives storage magazine with a reinforced concrete headwall and a closed steel blast door

Industrial and energetics

Explosives storage, test cells and process plants.

A single-story retail storefront row protected by low-speed rated bollards between the parking lot and the sidewalk

Commercial and retail

Storefronts, offices and mixed-use developments.

The main entrance canopy of a modern hospital or campus building with a protected drop-off lane

Education and healthcare

Campuses, schools and hospitals.

Criteria We Design To

PNH works to the criteria named for each project and cites them clause by clause.

UFC

3-340-02, 4-010-01, 4-022-01/02

ASTM

F2656, F3016

ISO

22343-1

ASCE/SEI

59-22, 76-23

ISC

Risk Management Process

DESR

6055.09

IATG

Explosives safety

NPSA

HVM and crowded places

From threat to approved design
From threat to approved design: six steps, each with the criteria cited and a defined deliverable Six-step engineering path: threat question, design basis, loads and speeds, response and selection, specification, review and approval. 1 Threat question What could happen at the site, to what, and how likely it is. Risk register 2 Design basis Threat, criteria and level of protection agreed in writing. Design basis memo 3 Loads and speeds Blast, fragment and impact loads; vehicle speed at each line. Load assessment 4 Response and selection Elements checked; tested ratings matched to each location. Design report 5 Specification Performance specs and sketches so qualified suppliers compete. Performance spec 6 Review and approval Vendor submittals and review comments answered to approval. Comment responses Governing criteria cited clause by clause at every step Illustrative sequence. Each engagement is scoped in the proposal.
The engineering method inside each engagement: six technical steps, each with a defined deliverable and the governing criteria cited clause by clause.

How We Work

Every engagement follows the same five steps, with a fixed fee for each defined phase.

01

Introduction

A short call on the site, the threat question and the deadline.

02

Mutual NDA

Signed directly with you before documents are shared.

03

Fixed-fee proposal

Defined deliverables and a set number of revisions.

04

Design basis

Threat and criteria agreed in writing before analysis.

05

Delivery

Engineer-reviewed reports, supported through approval.

Recent Work, by Type

PNH engagements since 2025, described by type of work only. Client names, locations and project details stay confidential.

ENERGY AND UTILITY FACILITIES

Pre-bid blast and impact design

Load assessment, preliminary design, element schedules, interface loads and budgetary quantities that contractors priced their tenders from, including reissues within days after late design-basis changes.

ENERGY AND UTILITY FACILITIES

Protective systems specifications

Performance specifications for blast-rated louvers, doors, catch nets and blast-control fences, with indicative layouts for vendor procurement.

DEFENSE FACILITIES

Antiterrorism fenestration

Blast-resistant windows and glazed doors with framing, anchorage and the submittal set, supported through government review.

MISSION-CRITICAL FACILITIES

Perimeter and hardened rooms

Vehicle mitigation, access control layout and protective design of critical rooms for operators with no tolerance for downtime.

What a PNH deliverable set looks like
What a PNH deliverable set looks like: stylized thumbnails of a design basis memorandum, risk register, location sheet, blast analysis report and performance specification Five stylized document thumbnails with abstract lines only; no real data. Design basis memorandum Risk register Vehicle approach location sheet Blast analysis report Performance specification Illustrative thumbnails. Client content is never shown.
Stylized thumbnails of typical deliverables; client content is never shown.
See experience

Get in Touch

Send us the site and the deadline. A short note on the site, what concerns you and when the tender or decision is due is enough to start. We reply within one business day.

  • The siteAn address, a site plan or a few photos.
  • The concernThe threat question, an incident or a client requirement.
  • The criteriaAny standard or client specification that applies.
  • The dateWhen the tender, review or decision is due.

Email [email protected] or call +1-818-253-9557

Thank you. PNH will reply within one business day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does PNH do?

PNH Security Engineering Consultants engineers protection for people, assets and critical infrastructure against deliberate attack and accidental extreme loads: hostile vehicle mitigation, blast and impact engineering, passive anti-drone protection, explosives safety, antiterrorism and force protection, risk assessment, and forensic engineering and expert witness work.

Is PNH independent of barrier manufacturers?

Yes. PNH does not make, sell or install barriers or protective products, and never specifies a product it has a stake in. Recommendations rest on the site and the threat.

Who leads the engineering?

Every engagement is led by PNH's Chief Technical Officer, Pedram Hesam, PhD, PSP, a protective design engineer with more than 17 years of experience in blast, vehicle impact and other extreme loads.

Is PNH a certified small business?

Yes. PNH LLC is an SBA-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (VetCert) and a California SBE/DVBE, certification No. 2034487.

How quickly will you respond?

PNH acknowledges inquiries within one business day and sends a fixed-fee proposal within five business days of the first call.

How is a project priced?

Each phase is a fixed fee with defined deliverables and a set number of client-requested revisions. Changes in threat, inputs or scope are agreed separately before any added work.

Do you sign an NDA before reviewing drawings?

Yes. A mutual NDA is signed directly with the client before any documents are shared. PNH never discloses client identities or carries details from one client's project to another.

Which standards do you work to?

The criteria named for each project, typically UFC 3-340-02, ASCE/SEI 59-22, UFC 4-010-01, ASTM F2656, ASTM F3016, ISO 22343-1, DESR 6055.09 and the owner's own specifications. Every deliverable cites the criteria clause by clause.

What are M-rated and S-rated barriers?

M ratings come from ASTM F2656 vehicle crash tests: M is a medium-duty truck and the number is the nominal impact speed in mph, as in M30 or M50. S ratings come from ASTM F3016 low-speed surrogate tests used for storefronts and pedestrian areas, as in S20 or S30. In both, the P rating states how far the front of the test vehicle's cargo bed traveled past the barrier's pre-test attack face: P1 to P3 in the current ASTM F2656/F2656M-23, and P1 or P2 in ASTM F3016.

Do you install bollards or barriers?

No. PNH specifies the tested performance each location needs, reviews vendor test evidence and submittals, and supports the owner through installation review. Supply and installation stay with qualified vendors.

Do you work with architects and contractors?

Yes. Most PNH work supports architects, engineers of record and EPC or design-build contractors, from pre-bid design to responses to review comments.

What is your satisfaction guarantee?

If a deliverable does not meet the agreed scope, PNH corrects it at no added fee.