The Hesco bastion is both a modern gabion used for flood control and military fortification and the name of the British company that developed it in the late 1980s. It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner, and used as a temporary to semi-permanent dike or barrier against explosions or small-arms. It has seen considerable use in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Originally designed for use on beaches and marshes for erosion and flood control, the Hesco Bastion quickly became a popular security device in the 1990s. Hesco barriers continue to be used for their original purpose. They were used in 2005 to reinforce levees around New Orleans in the few days between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.During the June 2008 Midwest floods 27,000 feet of Hesco barrier wall were shipped to Iowa. In late March, 2009, 35,000 feet of Hesco barrier were delivered to Fargo, North Dakota, USA to protect against floods.
