[News Today] EFFORTS TO PREVENT BIRD STRIKES

[LEAD]
In the wake of the recent plane crash which involved a bird strike, Incheon International Airport and the Air Force are now ramping up efforts to prevent such incidents. These iclude advanced technologies and continuous monitoring.

[REPORT]
Incheon International Airport at 8.am. the peak time for bird movement.

It is the safest airport in Korea, as just 0.99 bird strikes occur per 10,000 flights, which is a tenth of the number at Muan Airport.

However, members of a bird control team never put down their guard.

As well as the usual ultrasonic devices and rifles, the airport has also introduced paintball guns and thermal cameras to carry out round-the-clock bird control operations.

Kwon Hyuk-rak / Incheon Airport's wild animal control team
As they are part of nature, we are using non-lethal methods like ultrasonic device and paintball guns.

The Air Force recently introduced some 50 special drones that discharge noises and rays to drive birds away.

The industry ministry and the Incheon city government invested 18.6 billion won, or 12.7 million U.S. dollars, to develop equipment that tests the safety of aircraft components during bird strikes.

A test was conducted simulating a 1.8-kilogram bird colliding with the cockpit of an aircraft traveling at 360 kilometers per hour.

Kim Ho / Head, Incheon Techno Park
This test can assess if each component of a plane was manufactured in accordance with design criteria.

By the end of this year, the collision test speed will be increased to over 1,000 kilometers per hour, matching the levels of advanced passenger and fighter jets.