Scientists develop a bomb-proof bag that will stop explosions mid-air

A bomb-proof lining developed by an international team of scientists contained an explosion in the luggage hold of an aircraft. The Fly-bag, which acts as a membrane instead of a solid container, can be the tool to deter any potential explosion of a bomb smuggled aboard an aircraft in future terrorist attacks.

The researchers placed an explosive device in a suitcase and contained inside the Fly-bag. When the device exploded, the bag expanded and contracted without leaving any tear. Aramid, a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre used in the aerospace industry and in ballistic body armours, contributes to the bag’s strength, resilience and heat resistance.

"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,” security consultant Matthew Finn told Reuters. “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."

The Fly-Bag is developed by a European group from the University of Sheffield and partners from Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands. According to the scientists, this bag is a game-changer and hope to use it across the world to prevent casualties.

"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,” Finn added. “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."

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