Aircraft Anti-Terrorism Security System

patent#: US 6844817

filed under Planes, Homeland Security
view the full patent  | comments (4)
posted on 2/7/2005, patent issued on 1/18/2005

Not exactly a silly patent, but too interesting for me to ignore. Airbus, the European airplane manufacturer filed their application on September 21, 2001, just ten days after the 9/11 attacks. I've seen many such "9/11 patents" issued in recent months, mostly security improvements for airplanes like this one. This patent carries some extra weight because it is held by a company with the capabilities to actually implement it.

The patent is very imaginitive. You can almost sense the creativity of the scientists fueled by their outrage after the attacks. The range of anti-terror methods is pretty exhaustive.

The main component of the invention is a buffer zone between the main cabin and the cockpit. Any terrorist trying to storm the cockpit would find themselves trapped in this buffer zone and assaulted by an array of anti-terror devices such as a "lighting master shut-off," a "high intensity glaring or blinding light unit," a "a high intensity strobe light," "window darkening devices," a "high intensity noise generator," "fogging gas," "knock-out gas," and a tranquilizer dart gun that is connected to a night-vision video camera.

So you've incapacitated the terroriststs, but now what do you do with them. Well, there is also a trapdoor leading to a confinement cell. The cell is "large enough and adapted to receive and confine a person," "strong to withstand a firearm discharge and a bomb explosion," and has a nozzle for providing additional "knock-out gas."

Not exactly the best place to join the mile-high club.