Boeing Proves Their Bombs Don’t Just Kill People, They Put Out Fires!

Nobody ever said Boeing engineers aren’t smart. They’ve come up with a way to make C-17s into firefighters that drop collapsible, biodegradable containers of water onto blazes - putting fewer human firefighters into harm’s way. Beach-ball sized ‘water bombs’ are stacked on pallets within cardboard containers.

From Boeing:

The unit’s spherical shape minimizes airflow resistance. Each sphere contains 50 pounds of water and easily remains intact while it falls true to target. The spheres burst on impact at the heart of the fire. A single C-17 PAFF mission could airdrop 140,000 pounds of water on multiple “hot spot” targets-equivalent to nearly 100 helicopter deliveries.

“What’s more,” said Cleary, “the C-17 can airdrop from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground level using precision navigation and airdrop instrumentation, remaining safely away from the fire and winds,” he said. “If a C-17 were used, this delivery system is remarkably cost effective, and the savings in lives and property make it an interesting possibility for the Air National Guard.”

This is actually an incredibly cool way to control fires before they reach epic proportions - they get to the fires faster, can drop more water at once, have computer-aided targeting and can put out fires in all weather and all terrain, day and night. Considering that the other bombs Boeing is known for are meant for carnage rather than the good of mankind, we’re offering golf claps for their efforts.

Link [Boeing]

Photo: Flickr user DoctorWho