Story ID: 
Explosives-proof Bag Promises Protection Against Bombs
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Italy's D'Appolonia says its new Fly-Bag is lighter and more flexible than existing explosives-protection equipment.
Word Count: 351
Two months after the suspected destruction of a Russian airliner by a terrorist bomb over Egypt’s Sinai Desert, Italian company D’Appolonia has unveiled equipment designed to protect aircraft from the impact of a bomb explosion. Fly-Bag is a bomb-proof container that can be fitted in baggage compartments and/or cabins to resist the dynamic and thermal impacts of an explosion.

According to Genoa-based D’Appolonia, the equipment is made from existing commercially available ballistic protection materials. For a standard ULD cargo pallet, the weight of each bag would be up to around 66 pounds, while the unit required to protect an entire baggage hold would weigh up to around 220 pounds. Smaller units for passenger cabins weigh just over 10 pounds.

D’Appolonia declined to explain what volume of explosives Fly-Bag can provide protection against. It has also yet to publish prices for the product but estimated a cost of “some thousands of euros per unit.” Fly-Bag is now patented and the manufacturer has received European Aviation Safety Agency certification to fit the equipment in the hold of an Airbus A320. According to the company, Fly-Bag is lighter and more flexible to use than existing blast-proof containers, which are made from rigid materials.

The equipment works by absorbing shock waves from an explosion through a mechanism that controls the deformation of the multilayer fabric used to make the bags. Each Fly-Bag has several layers, which perform a specific function, such as fragment retention, absorption of shock waves and fire resistance.

According to D’Appolonia, Fly-Bag units can be installed in a variety of locations in just a few minutes. The company can provide the bags in a variety of sizes to fit aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 747.

“This new-generation fabric container marks a turning point in aviation safety,” commented D’Appolonia CEO Roberto Carpaneto. “It is light and flexible enough to be used on all aircraft, and full-scale tests have proven it will protect aircraft and passengers from explosions caused by any explosives hidden in the baggage.”