Tipos de Coagulante

1. The aim of this chapter is to provide guidance on the decontamination of

helicopters affected by nuclear fallout or biological or chemical agents. The probability of conducting operations in a Biological and Chemical Warfare (BCW) environment has become more likely within the past decade and planning must be done to ensure that operations can be maintained, even if at a reduced operational tempo.

2. Helicopter operations may be threatened directly or indirectly by the use of nuclear, biological or chemical (NBC) weapons. Following the employment of such weapons, large areas of terrain and the air immediately above may become contaminated and remain so for extended periods. The extent to which helicopters may continue to operate successfully in a contaminated environment will depend on measures taken to clean them.

PLANNING

3. As part of the planning process the CO will assess the likely threat, including the risk of exposure to contamination. He will seek to avoid exposure or reduce the hazard, and maximize operational capability by determining the levels of aircrew protection and establishing procedures for the decontamination of helicopters and equipment. The following factors should be considered:

a. intelligence on existing or likely threats; b. meteorological information;

c. the time for which aircrew and support personnel must wear protective ensembles and the effect of productivity;

d. the type of mission;

e. the capabilities of unit NBC personnel;

f. the external support available from chemical units;

g. the decontamination assistance available from the supported unit; h. the support available to detached elements; and

i. the designation of a decontamination site.

4. Decontamination Principles. The principles are to decontaminate: a. as soon as possible;

d. equipment and personnel according to operational priorities.

5. Detection and alarm equipment will usually provide adequate warning of many nuclear and chemical threats to helicopter sites, although it may take some time to assess the precise nature and likely duration of the contamination. Detection equipment for biological agents is at an early stage of development and procedures for detecting and identifying these threats can be lengthy. When the helicopter is airborne, visual detection of certain liquid agents is possible using chemical sensitive paper attached to the

windscreen of the helicopter and chemical alarms may also be provided. No standoff detection capability is currently available.

6. A helicopter has the advantage of flying around or above known contaminated areas and may even fly through them at speed suffering little effect. Speeds in excess of 90 knots and terrain clearance of more than 50 feet will reduce the risk from vapour hazards. Landing in a contaminated area, however, will result in wholesale

contamination of the helicopter through the re-circulation of soil by the rotor wash, especially if the site is dusty. As far as possible, dust free landing sites should be

selected. A low speed, low level reconnaissance of the site may provide an indication of surface conditions and permit alarm systems to detect the presence of agents in

suspension. Hovering may be necessary in order to use point sampling devices, but in this event sampling may have to be restricted to the use of detector paper because rotor downwash will inhibit the collection of air samples using such devices as vapour detector kits. During terrain flight, areas of heavy vegetation should be avoided because vapour is dispersed less quickly where the wind is blocked. Open areas or high ground afford the best opportunity to evade this hazard. Areas where artillery rounds have impacted should also be avoided as the enemy may have employed Biological or Chemical munitions. The presence of healthy, unprotected personnel could indicate a safe landing area. 7. There are four possible means by which helicopters may be exposed to contamination:

a. Attack On The Ground. To minimize the effect of an attack, the following pre attack precautions should be taken, when possible, whenever the helicopter is shut down on the ground:

(1) park close to and downwind of trees and buildings; (2) close doors and windows; and

(3) cover windows with specialist NBC protective material. Some agents can cause minor cracks or distortions in plexiglass in about 10 minutes.

b. Attack While Airborne. Flight through liquid falling to the ground is extremely unlikely but flight through a vapour hazard may take place. Aircrew and passengers should wear individual protection and, when possible, doors and windows should be closed.

c. Landing On Contaminated Ground. Contamination on the outside of the helicopter should be limited to the underside of the helicopter. If troops are picked up, they should be assumed to be contaminated. d. Carriage Of Contaminated Troops. Flying with doors and windows

open will increase the rate of weathering if carrying contaminated troops. Protecting the floor with covers will aid subsequent decontamination but tears in the fabric could increase the risk of contamination behind

floorboards and may present a flight safety hazard. DECONTAMINATION

8. Levels Of Decontamination. Once a helicopter is contaminated it is difficult to decontaminate it completely. The tactical situation and the availability of spare

helicopters will determine the degree of decontamination attempted. The goal of the helicopter unit will be to reduce the hazard during a period of sustained operations but it is likely that aircrew, troops and support personnel will have to continue to wear

individual protection. This may, however, reduce operational effectiveness and

jeopardize flight safety. Only specialist decontamination units, usually established in the rear area, will be able to conduct sufficiently thorough decontamination to permit the removal of protective clothing. There are three levels of decontamination to be considered:

a. Immediate Decontamination. The purpose of immediate

decontamination is to save lives and minimize casualties. Initial effort will, therefore, be concentrated on personnel. It may be necessary to continue to operate helicopters for a short period in a dirty condition before they too can be subjected to decontamination procedures. In this event, all who may come into contact with contaminated helicopters must be suitably attired and made aware of the conditions they face. Routine flight and ground operations with rotors turning help to decontaminate exterior surfaces of the helicopter. The wind and warm temperatures generated by the engines help to dislodge particles and expedite the

evaporation of chemical agents. Complete decontamination of surfaces by evaporation, however, is not possible because some agents may remain in the paint.

b. Operational Decontamination. To enable operations to be sustained for longer periods it will be necessary for units to carry out operational decontamination of helicopters in order to reduce further risks to personnel. Unit commanders should select sites dedicated to the decontamination of helicopters and organize them to take account of helicopter type, mission, terrain and wind conditions. Care must be taken to ensure that removed contaminants can be contained in a suitable area. If necessary, operational decontamination may be accomplished in two

(1) Stage 1 (Spot Decontamination). Selected areas of the helicopter are likely to be touched by personnel (steps, doors, handles,

entrances, floors, refuelling caps) may be spot decontaminated to limit the possible spread of contaminants. Plexiglass windows may be flushed with water to prevent cracking. Unit aircrew and support personnel should ensure the availability of fuel, soap and water so that spot decontamination may be carried out during operations.

(2) Stage 2 (Surface Decontamination). As soon as time and resources permit, all external and accessible internal surfaces may be decontaminated. The primary concern is to spray wash

contaminants from the helicopter exterior and, as a minimum, the internal cabin floor. Depending on operational requirements, spray down may be accomplished with engines running or shut down. c. Thorough Decontamination. During protracted operations, weathering

and decay will reduce contamination levels significantly and following operational decontamination, attempts to further reduce contamination levels may not be worthwhile. Thorough decontamination is a lengthy process, the aim of which is to reduce contamination to the lowest possible levels, thus permitting the partial or total removal of individual protection and the continuation of operations with minimum degradation. It is unlikely that this level of decontamination will be attempted during hostilities. Thorough decontamination of helicopters is accomplished at sites in the rear area established by specialist chemical units. Aircrew must exercise care within the site by minimizing air taxi and landing at the designated point. Personnel from the helicopter unit will carry out the decontamination with technical assistance from specialists.

9. Site Requirements. The decontamination site must be capable of

accommodating the appropriate helicopter type in the required numbers. It should be relatively secure but close enough to refuelling and rearming points to permit a reasonable quick turn round if required. The site should have sufficient terrain flight routes within 2 to 3 kilometres to facilitate entry and exit. A slight slope to the terrain is desirable but must remain within helicopter limits. It is preferable to sequence groups of helicopters through the decontamination site to prevent arriving or departing helicopters interfering with decontamination operations. Depending on the personnel and resources available, it may be possible to cleanse several helicopters simultaneously. Caution must be observed when decontaminating armed helicopters to ensure safety procedures are observed. Areas should be provided for aircrew to rest and to change individual

protection equipment. Following thorough decontamination, aircrew need not wear full protective equipment if the operational area is known to be hazard free.