Anti-Terror Technology
Israel Unveils System to Beat Bus Bombers. (Hat tip: Steven Zak.)
RAMAT HASHARON, Israel (Reuters) - Israel unveiled a system on Thursday aimed at stopping suicide bombers boarding buses and carrying out attacks like those that have killed hundreds of people in the past three years.Bus bombings are some of the most deadly of all — partly because windows toughened to resist shooting attacks or stone-throwing turn the vehicle into a pressure chamber if a bomb goes off.
The new system lets the driver block anyone he thinks is suspicious by hitting a red button to close a turnstile. Electronic gates will be installed at back doors, which have been used by bombers to sneak on without the driver knowing.
A sheet of armor is also mounted on the front of the bus below the window to trap shrapnel if a bomber detonates right outside.
“Public transportation has been a preferred target of terrorists,” said Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the Ramat Hasharon headquarters of Israeli Military Industries, near Tel Aviv. “Now we have developed the technology to confront this problem.”
The system still depends on the driver being able to see through the would-be bomber’s disguise, but later variations will be built using electronic explosives detectors that trigger an alarm and let the driver shut the door.