Bharat Rakshak:Indian Air Force

Operating in an NBC Environment

The Indian Air Force has a full fledged NBC Cell that has bought out a Calender with photographs of aircraft operating under NBC Warfare conditions. These photographs were subsequently scanned by Arun Sharma and sent to us for use on this website. The Major equipment used by the forces is the Mobile Decontamination System. The Mobile Decontamination System has been designed and developed for decontamination of terrain, vehicles, personnel and personal equipment The system is fitted on a TATRA vehicle with cross-country capabilities. The main sub-systems of mobile decontamination system are : pre-wash, chemical wash and postwash. Pre-wash consists of a 3000 litre stainless steel water tank and a fast suction pump. A high-pressure jet with a capacity of 3400 litre per hour (lph) at 45-50 bar and a low-pressure jet with a capacity of 900 lph at 5 to 6 bar and 1600 lph at 10 to 15 bar has also been provided. The chemical wash system is capable of mixing two powders and two liquids with variable feed rates. It has a 5 litre per minute slurry emulsion flow rate. The postwash system consists of a high-pressure hot water jet, a hot water shower for personnel and provision of steam for decontamination of clothing. The subsystem can be simultaneously operated. This is used for cleaning of base area, hangars and buildings. Used in cleaning of the aircraft and weaponry is the PDA. The Portable Decontamination Apparatus (PDA) has been designed to spray decontamination solution over the contaminated area, buildings, vehicles including tanks and ships. The apparatus is made of stainless steel with provision for pressurizing the vessel by a pump or from a vehicle compressor. A lance with a scrubber, a brush, a scrapper and an adjustable nozzle has been provided for working from a safe distance from the contaminated surface. Scrapper and brush are used to scratch and brush the contaminated paint of metal panels so that the decontaminant can reach the contaminant trapped inside the paint. The apparatus can also be used to spray decontaminant as liquid mixture and slurries. The apparatus has been provided with a pressure gauge, a shoulder strap for manual handling and brackets for fixing it on a vehicle. The apparatus weighs ten kg with a capacity of 14 litres. The solution (DS-2) can discharge at a time 4 kg/cm2 in less than five minutes in a spray range of five meter radius. Decontamination Solution (DS-2) is used for external decontamination of small and medium size arms and equipment. DS-2 is a mixture of organic and inorganic bases and methyl cellosolve. It is yellow in colour, which turns brown on storage and is non-corrosive to metal surface. DS-2 can be used by the spraying and swabbing methods. However, it is harmful to skin and eyes. The kit has a shelf life of five years in factory packed condition.