Tests UV light solution to sterilize passenger aircraft”The usual cleaning solutions require a lot.

An innovative robotic system to rapidly sterilize passenger aircrafts using powerful UV light technology is being tested by leading Israeli aerospace and defense firm Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Widely used to purify water, Lod-headquartered IAI has adapted UV-C (short-wavelength ultraviolet) technology in recent weeks to successfully disinfect coronavirus facilities at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) and Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center.

“Our system consists of a robotic system that operates autonomously inside the airplane,” said Avi, the IAI aviation division project leader, whose surname cannot be disclosed for security reasons. “We can give the robot a plan of the airplane or any large space, and the system will operate automatically.”

The system is being tested on an aircraft that is currently being modified by IAI engineers in the company’s facilities, Avi said. The system has proved to be faster than traditional interior cabin cleaning and sterilizes everything in the proximity of the system, including aircraft seat upholstery and other fabrics.