Page 58 - World Airnews Magazine January 2021 Edition

NEWS DIGITAL

AIRLINES GEAR UP TO

TRANSPORT VACCINES

But the flights represent just one segment of a massive, global
relay race in which airlines will have to be ready to move at a
Months before anyone knew which of the coronavirus moment’s notice.
vaccine candidates would pull ahead or when they’d be “When a request comes in, it’s going to be urgent and we have
available, airlines were trying to figure out how to transport to act immediately,” said Manu Jacobs, who oversees shipments
doses around the world. of pharmaceuticals and other specialty products for United.
Over the summer, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory panel is
United Airlines spoke with government officials, pharmaceutical meeting to decide whether the agency should grant emergency
companies and experts to understand where vaccines might be authorisation of the Pfizer vaccine.
produced, how they would be shipped and how best to position Another vaccine, produced by Moderna, is expected to be
people and planes to get them moving. reviewed next week. Once either is authorised, shipments are
More recently, they have flown batches of vaccines for use in expected to begin in earnest.
trials and research or to prepare for wider distribution. One of the biggest challenges for airlines has been ensuring
The industry will play a vital role in moving billions of doses that vaccines are transported at frigid temperatures.
aboard hundreds of flights in the months ahead, putting Pfizer’s must be stored at an incredibly low minus 94 degrees
underused planes and crews to work while circulating the very Fahrenheit. Moderna’s can be kept at a more easily managed
medicine that airlines hope will get people to book tickets again. minus 4 degrees. Q

NEWS DIGITAL

BUSHBABY SURVEILLANCE

SYSTEM

sensor suite is capable of detecting threats One of Hensoldt’s key portfolio areas is
up to ranges close to 30 km. An eye-safe border security solutions, with Hensoldt
Hensoldt South Africa has launched its laser rangefinder can measure distance South Africa having the vision to be the
new Bushbaby long-range electro-optical up to 20 km. A human can be detected at main turnkey solution provider for border
sensor platform, designed for infrastruc- a typical range of 16 km with the medi- authorities. Q
ture and border protection, amongst um-wave infrared
others. sensor recently
developed and
The Bushbaby was displayed during a now produced by
capability demonstration in Pretoria in late Hensoldt in South
November. Africa.
The Bushbaby is a land-based long-range
The 61 kg
imaging system for persistent surveillance, Bushbaby is
allowing the operator to identify and track non-ITAR, like
intrusions, smugglers, terrorists, drones the majority of
or any other conventional or asymmetric Hensoldt South
threat. Africa’s products.
“Designed for military and security appli- It complements
cations, Bushbaby offers a highly capable the company’s
and affordable persistent surveillance other surveillance
capability,” Hensoldt South Africa said. capabilities,
Main applications include critical infra- including radar
structure protection; airfield and sea ports and electro-optical
protection; military and force protection; sensors. Hensoldt
national key point monitoring; coastal and South Africa’s
maritime surveillance; border security combined radar
control; and aerial threat identification. and electro-optical
The system is able to operate 24 hours a surveillance system
day in night and poor weather conditions, is, for example,
and can be fixed or fitted to a vehicle. protecting nearly
The Bushbaby incorporates several two thousand
sensors, namely a daylight HD sensor; a rhinos in the
mid-wave infrared HD sensor; and a short- world’s largest
wave infrared sensor. This multi-spectrum rhino conservancy.

World Airnews | January Extra 2021
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