KRC's device can
prevent 'air terrorism'
Sandesh Prabhudesai
17 October 2001
The Konkan Railway Corporation has claimed
that its indigenously built Anti-Collision Device can protect
aircrafts from hijacking and also tall buildings from terrorist
attacks like what happened in USA on 11 September.
"Provision of ACD's network gives safety
shield against any terrorist actions of hijacking aircraft
and causing the kind of damage that occurred to World Trade
Centre in New York", states the KRC.
The ACD, named as 'Raksha Kavach', was dedicated
to the nation recently by railway minister Nitish Kumar at
a function held Konkan Rail Vihar in Navi Mumbai.
In the background of the tragedy in US which
claimed thousands of innocent lives, the KRC has now publicised
the ACD on its website, stating "we can protect tall buildings
from terrorist attacks".
According to B Rajaram, the KRC CMD, the
device has an in-built microprocessor with knowledge to act
automatically when unsafe conditions arise to ensure safety.
A software-based device can be programmed for dedicates use
of aircrafts, he adds.
"Inputs are taken from GPS and uses a radio
trans-receiver to communicate every half-second with any other
ACD within a prefixed range of distance, which also has inputs
from GPS, both interact, and automatically decide and act
together to avoid collision with each other", states the website
information.
According to KRC, it automatically over-rides
the pilots while the flying object is shifted away from ACD-protected
area. The ACD intervenes on collision course, avoiding such
kind of tragedies.
Technology solution of ACD is the right answer
for the problem of tackling the terrorism using civilian aircraft
while increasing insurance premiums or posting of sky marshals
simply escalate costs but cannot guarantee safety, it states.
While each unit costs US $ 20,000, the KRC
feels a city may need about four to five such devices whereas
every authorised flying object should be fitted with one such
device each.
In order to avoid even high speed train collisions
like in Khanna and Ghaisal, Nitish Kumar had announced that
Indian railways will go for it all over India. A survey is
being taken up of the entire railway network in the country
to assess the number of ACDs required to be installed.
The railway ministry plans to install the
Raksha Kavach in all the locos, guard vans, levels crossing
gates and railway stations, besides the trains. The device
is tested by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation
of the railway ministry.
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