CTV News Ottawa

Updated: Mon Sep. 21 2009 4:08:00 PM

ctvottawa.ca

A 727 airplane was in Ottawa this week for a week-long project called Kaboom 2, in which explosives were detonated to further understand how bombs can be smuggled onto planes and how that can be stopped.

The project also examined how airplanes handle an explosion.

"These days the emphasis is on computer modeling, but the information for that comes from real planes and you can go small, or if you have the real thing why not use it," said Ron Gould, who oversaw Kaboom 2 and works for the National Research Council.

Gould's expertise is in planes -- their construction and destruction. Two years ago, he oversaw Kaboom 1.

This week, Kaboom 2 attracted 400 people: front line police, fire, as well as anti-terrorism and security people from several agencies around the world.

Some people were a little disappointed the blasts didn't look like much -- a little puff of smoke on the outside. However, hi-speed cameras showed the outer skin of the plane bulging and splitting.

When you look inside the cargo hold -- where roughly 1/2 kilo of explosives detonated -- it is a much different story. Most importantly, the blast caused a long split in the interior wall, which would have been a fatal blow to the aircraft if it was in flight.

The event also attracted companies like ICX Technologies, which sells a portable mass spectrometer to analyze materials to determine just what's being used. In an attack, they also have a mobile scanner to compliment what a bomb-sniffing dog can do.

Anvil Technologies has also developed wireless networks that can carry video and audio signals from the scene of a disaster or a security incident. Its equipment is currently used in several countries for anti-terrorism and search and rescue.

Titan, a division and technology of Ambercore/Terrapoint, adapts high-quality 3D mapping technology to security. Its equipment scanned the plane and used nearly three-million points of reference to create a model. Another scan after an incident would show any changes, all aiming to improve passenger safety.

"This is a strictly controlled scientific experiment, but make no mistake, it is about safety," said Gould. "My safety and your safety. And we will make sure we get all the information out."

There are already discussions about a Kaboom 3 project.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Paul Brent