FLC | AFRL-led COVID-19 decontamination team improves aircraft safety

AFRL-led COVID-19 decontamination team improves aircraft safety

May 4, 2020

To support the global fight against COVID-19, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) needed only 10 days to stand up an aircraft decontamination team of bioenvironmental, aircraft-materials, and medical experts from across the laboratory who’ve assessed a variety of aircraft decontamination support solutions.

“During this pandemic, it is crucial that the aircraft are decontaminated using compatible methods,” said Rachel Krabacher, team coordinator from the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. “Eliminating COVID-19 from the surface of the aircraft is incredibly important, but not all methods are compatible with military aircraft materials. When the decontamination procedure is complete, we must have confidence that the aircraft and its materials can still perform.”

The AFRL team released a document to government agencies and their contractors providing information on aircraft materials-compatible decontamination methods for emerging diseases, specifically COVID-19, that are compatible with aircraft materials. It also covers approved aircraft decontamination guidance methods that have been identified for a range of cases, not specific to aircraft, by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The information is based on existing Air Force technical orders, literature, and the experience of various AFRL subject matter experts. It has become the basis for rapid decisions from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) to Logistics Centers and operational units across the service.

AFRL is also participating in a Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON) team that provides materials, medical and bioenvironmental support, and engages various subject matter experts to deliver recommendations on decontamination methods. The JUON initiated from United States Transportation Command through Air Mobility Command (AMC). The team working this response is the COVID Rapid Action Decontamination Team consisting of: AFLCMC, AMC and AFRL experts.

High interest methods include biothermal decontamination, various disinfectants and ultraviolet light. This group is also streamlining questions and answers from the Air Force community, to ensure consistent answers and vetting from vendors. This is where AFRL scientists are applying their understanding of biological materials and processes to accelerate the evaluation of the Joint Biological Agent Decontamination System (JBADS) against novel coronavirus.

“In 2008, we didn’t have good methods for decontamination, especially for aircraft interiors,’” said Dr. Wendy Goodson, Soft Matter Materials Branch Chief. “With 10 years of research behind us, we are in a better place than we’ve ever been to respond to this crisis, not only from a hardware standpoint, but because we have built in-house AFRL expertise and developed solutions in partnership with the rest of the Air Force.”

JBADS is an interior biological agent decontamination capability for aircraft, vehicles and equipment. It was developed under AFRL leadership to rapidly decontaminate aircraft that may harbor hazardous microbes, and has been demonstrated effective against multiple agents while being safe, environmentally friendly and effective.

In partnership with Battelle, the AFRL effort will test decontamination conditions required for full effectiveness against multiple organisms including the novel coronavirus, possibly using only heat and humidity parameters. With a small, low-cost, logistic footprint, the goal for JBADS is to provide the ability to ensure complete decontamination of an entire aircraft in less than two hours. This contrasts current approaches that spray solutions onto surfaces, or direct-line of sight concepts.