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 The Fly-Bag is made from multiple layers of fabrics and composites
that have high strength and impact, and heat resistance. The fabrics
include Aramid, a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fiber used in
the aerospace industry, as well as in ballistic body armor.
The lining's flexibility increases its resilience in containing an
explosion and any blast fragments, said Dr. Andrew Tyas, of the
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, who is leading the
research at the University of Sheffield. The Fly-Bag, he added, acts
as a pliable membrane instead of a rigid-walled container that could
shatter on impact.
Laboratory-based blast testing had successfully proved that the
Fly-Bag prototypes could withstand explosions. But it was real-life
controlled explosions in the luggage hold of a Boeing 747 and an
Airbus 321 that put the technology to the ultimate test.
One controlled explosion was conducted in a luggage hold not lined
with the Fly-Bag. The blast ripped a gaping hole in the fuselage
that could have proved fatal if the plane was traveling at altitude.
For the second test the bomb was placed in a suitcase and then in a
luggage hold lined with the Fly-Bag. Slow motion camera footage of
the bag at the moment of detonation showed it expands and contracts
but does not tear. The structural integrity of the fuselage was
maintained.
Leading British security consultant Matthew Finn said the Fly-Bag
could be an ideal fail-safe in the event that somebody is able to
smuggle an explosive device aboard an aircraft.
"The risk that we always have in aviation security is can someone
get something on board an aircraft. So a lot of our time and
attention has been focused on mitigating the risk of people getting
things on an aircraft. What the Fly-Bag does is it actually accepts
that there maybe an instance where somebody is successful in getting
something on board an aircraft. And therefore, the next question
becomes how can we mitigate the effect of an explosive device
detonating at altitude in an aircraft," he said.
The need for some way of mitigating an explosive device on an
aircraft was heightened on October 31 when a bomb ripped apart a
Russian passenger jet over Egypt, killing all 224 people on board.
Islamic State claimed they were responsible for the attack,
releasing a photograph of a Schweppes soft drink can it said was
used to make an improvised bomb that brought down the Russian
airliner.
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Explosives experts said it was feasible the device shown in the
photo could bring down a plane, depending on where it was located
and the density of explosives in the soft drink can. The most
vulnerable locations include the fuel line, the cockpit or anywhere
close to the fuselage skin.
The attack drew parallels with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 by
Libyan nationals over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. An
investigation showed a palm-sized explosive in a cassette recorder
in a bag in the luggage hold had ripped a 50 centimeter hole in the
fuselage and decompression caused the plane to break up in mid-air.
Finn, managing director for security consultants Augmentiq, which
offers advice to enhance security at airports, ports and
international borders, said the Fly-Bag deserves to be seriously
considered as a way to mitigate such explosives on aircraft.
"I think it has the capacity to transform how we look at hold
baggage. We've spent a lot of time thinking about the reconciliation
of passengers and their bags; since 1988, since the Lockerbie
Disaster, that's been a big focus of the airline industry. What the
Fly-Bag does is look to those situations where there may be the
device on board and how do we contain that. I think it's a really
interesting development and I'd like to see it deployed more widely"
he said.
The Fly-Bag is being developed by a European consortium including
Blastech, a spin out company from the University of Sheffield, as
well as partners from Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and the
Netherlands.
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