WO2003035471A2

WO2003035471A2 - The protection of airplanes against terrorists and hijackers

Info

Publication number: WO2003035471A2
Application number: PCT/HU2002/000092
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gábor GÖDE
Original assignee: Goede Gabor
Priority date: 2001-09-24
Filing date: 2002-09-24
Publication date: 2003-05-01
Also published as: HUP0103816A2; AU2002339201A1; HU0103816D0; WO2003035471A3

Abstract

The device and defence system planned for the protection of airplanes against terrorists and hijackers is described with the following characteristics: It's complex and coherent, and it consists of an extremely strong and hard ceiling cover which is made of plastic or kevlar strengthened by carbon-fibre, and this false ceiling is used in the corridors between the pilot and passenger cabins and in other relevant areas and rooms that has got a great importance in the defence system, and there are hidden launchers - for firing sleeping bullets which cause unconciousness or a paralysed state - placed on mountings above the false ceiling and they can be moved synchronised from the cockpit with hidden mini cameras by electromotors in every direction which are camouflaged as relieves or decorations, and they are connected with the pilot cabin by multy-plug cables or wireless remote transmitters where a security officer is constantly checking the central computer and its monitors to be able to divert any danger in time with the help of the hidden mini cameras and launchers if a terrorist or hijacker attack takes place on the board.

Description

The protection of airplanes against terrorists and hijackers

In the modern age, it's extremely important to carry the passengers and deliver the parcels to the destination place safely and quickly. Travelling by air is the only way which can satisfy this demand, but it must be made safer.

Safe air traffic is a must for the industrial, political, social, sanitary and human world. If we couldn't travel by air, chaos and panic would sweep over the world. Therefore, the history of air travel is full of arrangements and developements which were made to make travelling by air safer and faster. In the modern age, the high-tech airplanes are getting more and more reliable and safe.

Although, by now we can cope quite well with weather and technical challenges, but we haven't found the perfect way of defending our planes against criminals. They still can get through the check points and can take explosives and weapons on the board of civil aircrafts. This is a threatening danger for the passengers and the air crew. We all have heard about hijacked planes - sometimes there were disasters, and unfortunately the stories sometimes came to an unhappy end.

The airlines have spent a great sum of money on developing modern and safer checking systems. High-tech devices were involved in these systems, and they were arranged to make it impossible for the terrorists to carry weapons, explosive materials or anything else that can be dangerous for the passengers or the air crew on the board. While trying to pin out the potential terrorists more effectively, the importance of luggage control became more considerable.

This is called passive protection and nowadays it is the only way we try to protect our planes and people. It means that the potentially dangerous fellows can't be forbidden to board the plane, if they are not seriously suspected, they have a clean record and they have a passport and an air ticket. Since it's impossible to seize the potential criminals, the dangerous objects that can be useful for the terrorists are searched for.

This is a limited way of protection, because a razor or a paper-knife can become a dangerous weapon in the hands of a terrorist who want to assume power on an airplane. It is an unavoidable situation, even if the safest and strictest check takes place at the boarding.

That's only the simplest way of Mjacking an aircraft. The professional criminals use much more ciinning methods to take some weapon or explosive onto the board with them. We must keep an eye on them when we are reloading, refilling, checking and repairing the planes. The airplanes are often unguarded at the airports, which is really irresponsible from us. Moreover, the vacuum bags must be mentioned, as well, because the explosive materials can't be sifted out in them. These bags can be bidden under the garment or in the luggage. Although checking become more and more effective, this way of passive protection will be always imperfect, and so, a totally safe defence system can't be accomplished by it. The cunnest criminals will always be one step ahead of us, and be able to sneak through the check points and the passive defence system.

We talk about active protection when we try to cope with the terrorists in an emergency situation on the board of a public aircraft. It means that we disarm and disable the terrorists (hijackers) when they are trying to grab the power on the board. It's important not to endanger the passengers, the pilots and the flight attendants in a situation like that. It can't be accomplished and put in practice easily, and it is an extremely dangerous defence method for the following reasons:

1. When an airplane is flying high, the pressure difference can cause serious damage both for the plane and the passengers if the terrorists fire a weapon or an explosion tear in the hulk of the plane. This can even have the airplane crashed down.

2. It is too complicated to always have a large number of armed guards on the planes, and it is financially a nonsense.

3. If we just arm the members of the flight crew or hire a single armed guard on the board, a group of terrorists can attack some members of the flight crew or the armed guard, and after disarming them, they even can get their weapons. So that's too dangerous, and not worth risking.

The inadequacy of the above mentioned methods can be corrected by my defence system. It is a complex and coherent defence system that assures maximum safety. The description of my patent is the following: We can't avoid to protect the cockpit sufficiently. If the cockpit is safe, then the terrorists or hijackers can't be a threatening factor for the pilots. This can be solved by armouring the cockpit's front wall including the cabin's main and side-doors, too. These doors can only be opened by a finger-print identifier and a number lock. There should be hidden crenelles on the armoured wall that can be opened in emergency.

This defence system deals not only with the cockpit, but with the passenger cabins, with the corridors and with the other areas and rooms whose defence is important. At these places, the ceiling should be covered with a very strong material (plastic or kevlar strengthened by carbon-fibre) and this cover can only be removed by a special tool. There would be launchers placed between the ceiling and the strong ceiling cover. These launchers could be fixed in a tilted angle on mountings that can be immobile or are able to be moved in every direction (across and down). The barrel of the launchers should be bidden, so there would be slots covered by a thin intransparent film on the false ceiling. The launchers would be loaded with sleeping bullets (bullets that cause unconsciousness), so the hijackers would fall in sleep almost immediately after being shot. The launchers would be equipped with a barrel, a magazine and with a device that removes the cartridge and can prevent accidental gunfire.

Besides the armoured cockpit and the sleeping bullet launchers, there is an other important segment in this active defence system: the usage of cameras. These mini cameras would be set on the ceiling at the most important areas, especially on the corridors between the passenger cabins. They should be camouflaged as relieves on the ceiling or as other decorations and stanchions. The rnini cameras would move synchronised with the launchers, and they would also be driven by electromotors, so this way it would be possible to check the passenger cabins and the areas and rooms that are important for the safety of the aircraft.

Both the launchers and the mini cameras would be connected with the computer set up in the cockpit or with the console in the cockpit. This can be solved by sensors, remote transmitters or multi-plug electric cables. This way the crew can check what's happening on the board - especially in the areas and rooms that have a great importance in the defence system, and they can get information about the terrorists' position. After getting known where the hijackers are, they become easy target even in an emergency, and sleeping bullets can be launched from the cockpit. This defence system can be developed, and this way become even more safe, with the following equipments: If there were hidden signal buttons on the board - especially in the passenger cabins and in the rooms and areas that are important in the defence system - whose position would only be known for the flight attendants. The signals (beeps or flashes) could be seen or heard in the pilot cabin. The flight attendants can even carry an emergency signal unit with themselves. It could also make the defence system safer, if there were hand weapons in the cockpit which are built for launching sleeping bullets and are equipped with a suitable magazine. It should be closed in a safe that has got a number lock, and only the security officer and the pilots would be entitled to open it and use the sleeping pistols in emergency.

These hand weapons could even be used from the cockpit, if there were hidden crenelles on the wall and the doors of the pilot cabin. The crenelles, could be opened and closed from the cockpit. They can be extremely useful when a terrorist, hijacker or any shifty criminal tries to come close to the door of the cockpit in order to place some explosives there and to blow up the armoured wall and doors. The security officer always takes the sleeping pistol with him when he leaves the cockpit and enters the passenger cabins, and he is allowed to use it in case he considers it necessary.

The sleeping bullet consists of a needle, a canister, the canister's cover, a magazine and a weight. The needle is fixed on the canister which has flexible walls and is full of chemicals that cause unconsciousness. This flexible canister has got a hard cover with a percussion-cap at the end of it. The canister is pressed on the flange of the cover, and is loaded with solid or gas explosives. There are notches in the barrel, as well as on the hard cover of the bullet, to make the hit of the sleeping bullet even more precise. After hitting the terrorist, the weight compresses the flexible canister in the cover, the chemicals come out of it and enter the hijacker's body through the needle, who falls asleep in a few seconds.

There should be a room on the public aircrafts where the criminals can be imprisoned after they have become unconscious and have been handcuffed. This compartment must have strong walls and a safe lock, and it must be large enough for several terrorists. Accidentally, the sleeping bullet can hit a innocent passenger or a flight attendant, as well. In this case they should get an injection of stimulating chemicals, which neutralises the effects of the sleeping bullet. These neutraliser bullets should be closed up in the safe that can be found in the cockpit.

There are three enclosures (No. 1, 2 and 3) attached to the description of this patent. These drawings show the position and movement of the launcher and the launcher itself, the vertical segment of the sleeping bullet, and the hand weapon that can be manually used to launch the sleeping bullet directly.

Claims

1. The defence system which is planned for the protection of airplanes against terrorists and hijackers is described wit the following characteristics: It's complex and coherent, and it consists of an extremely strong and hard ceiling cover which is made of plastic or kevlar strengthened by carbon-fibre, and this false ceiling is used in the corridors between the pilot and passenger cabins and in other relevant areas and rooms that has got a great importance in the defence system, and it can only be removed with a special tool, and there are hidden launchers above the false ceiling which are placed in a tilted angle on mountings that can be moved in every direction, and there are sufficient number of launchers and they are placed in an appropriate distance from each other to satisfy the protection of the airplane, and the launchers can be moved by electromotors and they each consist of a magazine, a reloader, a lock, a pin and a bolt, and a barrel which is hidden behind a slot which is covered with thin intransparent film that makes an impression of patterns on the wall-paper, and the launchers are loaded with sleeping bullets that cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state.

2. The launcher system that satisfies the requirements of No.l is described with the following characteristics: each launcher has got a mark or number that defines its position, and the release and the mover parts of the launchers are equipped with sensors, remote transmitters or multy-plug electric cables which connect the launchers with the computer, screen or console set up in the cockpit.

3. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.l and 2 is described with the following characteristics: All the rooms and areas (including the pilot cabin, the passengers cabins, the storerooms, the lavatories etc.) of the aircraft that have got a significant importance in the defence system - especially the corridors between the passengers cabins are equipped with hidden and electrically driven mini cameras that are camouflaged as relieves on the ceiling or other decorations and stanchions on the walls, and these mini cameras move synchronised with the launchers, and they are connected with the computer module or its screens set up in the cockpit cockpit by wireless remote transmitters or multi-plug electric cables.

4. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.l, 2 and 3 is described with the following characteristics: Each important area or room on the board that has got a great significance in the defence system - especially the corridors between the passenger cabins can be checked altogether or one by one from the pilot cabin by switching on and moving the mini cameras in the right direction that are connected with the computer or its screens in the cockpit.

5. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.l, 2, 3 and 4 is described with the following characteristics: the doors on the cockpit's front armoured wall - including the cabin's main door and side-door which leads into a side-room next to the cockpit where nobody is allowed to enter except the pilots and the security officer - are also armoured, and can only be opened by a finger-print identifier and a number lock from the board and can be closed from inside, as well.

6. The armoured wall and main door of the pilot cabin that satisfies the requirements of No.5 is described with the following characteristics: there are be hidden crenelles that can be opened in emergency on the armoured wall at different heights through which it becomes possible to fire at the terrorist by hand weapons loaded with sleeping bullets which can cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state.

7. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.l is described with the following characteristics: each of these hand weapons consist of a magazine, a reloader, a lock, a pin a bolt, a barrel, a hilt and a foresight, and can be used for firing sleeping bullets that cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state.

8. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.l and 7 is described with the following characteristics: the sleeping bullet consists of a flexible canister that can be compressed, the canister's cover which is a hard case - made of copper, if possible - with a leading notch inside, a magazine, a small metal weight between the canister and the case's back-wall which compresses the sleeping chemicals out of the canister, and a needle which is equipped with a needle-case and is fixed on the canister which has flexible walls and is full of chemicals that cause unconsciousness, and there is a hard cover with a percussion-cap at the end of the canister which is pressed on the flange of the cover, and is loaded with solid or gas explosives, and connects to the barrel with a notch, so the canister stay in the launcher after firing the sleeping bullet which cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state.

9. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.1-8 is described with the following characteristics: There should be a compartment - separated with armoured walls and equipped with a number lock on its door - on the public aircrafts which can be used as a jail, can be checked by hidden mini cameras and is large enough to imprison several paralysed or unconscious terrorists after they have been disarmed and handcuffed.

10. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.1-9 is described with the following characteristics: there are hidden signal buttons on the board, especially in the passenger cabins and in the rooms and areas that are important in the defence system, which position is only be known for the flight attendants, and the flight attendants can even carry an emergency signal unit with themselves, as well, and all of these signallers send emergency signals (beeps or flashes) in the pilot cabin by remote transmitters.

11. The device that satisfies the requirements of NoJ-10 is described with the following characteristics: there is a surely fixed safe in the pilot cabin that can only be opened by a number lock or a finger-print identifier for holding one or more hand weapons loaded with sleeping bullets that can cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state, magazines of sleeping bullets and ampoules of stimulating chemicals, which neutralise the effects of the sleeping bullet.

12. The defence system which is planned for the protection of airplanes against terrorists and hijackers is described with the following characteristics: There is a security officer employed on the public aircraft who is in charge of the defence system, and who boards first with the executive flight attendants after the airplane is ready for the flight, and he opens the cockpit's door, then closes it from inside, and he is the one who closes the hand weapons - loaded with sleeping bullets which can cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state - in the safe after reaching the destination and landing, and after all the passengers and flight attendants have left the airplane, he opens the cockpit from inside, then closes it surely from outside when all the pilots and executives have left it.

13. The device that satisfies the requirements of NoJ-12 is described with the following characteristics: All the hidden mini cameras that are constantly checking the most important rooms and areas of the defence system are synchronised with the launchers, so there is at least one launcher connected to each camera, and they are moved together, making it possible to aim the sleeping bullets precisely at the terrorists and hijackers.

14. The device that satisfies the requirements of No.13 is described with the following characteristics: After the security officer has boarded the plane, entered the cockpit with the executive flight attendants, he closes the main door of the pilot cabin from inside, then he runs the console, computer or its screens described in No.3 and 4, and constantly checks the passenger cabins, and all the other rooms or areas, if required.

15. The defence system which satisfies the requirements of No.13 and 14 is described with the following characteristics: when the security officer consider the present situation unsafe on the board, he warns the suspected criminals or terrorists through the loud-speaker system to cease the illegal action they are involved in, and in case his order is denied, he determines their positions with the help of the mini cameras, aims at them with the launchers that are connected with the hidden mini cameras, then releases the launchers and fires at the targets - suspected terrorists, hijackers or criminals - who becomes unconscious or paralysed after they are hit by the sleeping bullets, and the security officer is the one who uses the hand weapon(s) and shoots sleeping bullets that cause unconsciousness or a paralysed state at the suspected passengers through the crenelles that can be opened from inside the cockpit if they are preparing to blow up the armoured door of the pilot cabin.

16. The defence system which satisfies the requirements of NoJ3 and 14 is described with the following characteristics: If the terrorists take hostages, the security officer must be even more carefully when aiming and shooting at the criminals, not to shoot accidentally a hostage, and he should rather aim and hit the terrorist at their backs or any other part of their body that is not protected and far from the hostage's body.

17. The defence system which satisfies the requirements of No.13-16 is described with the following characteristics: After the terrorists have been shot by the sleeping bullets and been fallen in a deep sleep or been become in a paralysed state, the security officer disarms them in the presence and with the help of the flight attendants, got the terrorists' hands unable to be moved by a plastic handcuff, and finally close them up in the armoured compartment which is developed for the criminals' imprisonment.

18. The defence system which satisfies the requirements of NoJ3-17 is described with the following characteristics: If the security officer gets sick or becomes unable to do his task for any other reason for a long period of time, then one of the executives who has been trained for this job before and whose work can be put off or supplied by somebody else must substitute him after he - any other executives, if needed - takes the hand weapon(s) loaded with sleeping bullets from the security officer, and these pistols must be put back into the safe when the destination has been reached and the airplane has landed safely.

19. The defence system which satisfies the requirements of No.13-18 is described with the following characteristics: If the sleeping bullet accidentally hit innocent passengers or flight attendants, then the security officer gives them an injection of stimulating chemicals which neutralises the effects of the sleeping bullet, and the security officer can even apply first-aid to the unconscious or paralysed passengers or flight attendants.

20. The device and defence system which satisfies the requirements of No.13-19 is described with the following characteristics: the defence system which is planned for the protection of public airplanes against terrorists and hijackers can also be used on any other aircrafts, landcrafts or watercrafts developed for transportation, but in this case the system must be modified regarding to the certain circumstances and requirements.