Considerations on the Use of Aircraft and Pilot Dosimetry in CBRN Defense Scenario

Abstract

Defense against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents is delicate and the success of operations in this type of scenario relies on caution in every step, from pre to post mission. The main way to protect the involved teams, the public and the equipment used is individual and ambient monitoring. This work is about the use of aircraft in CBRN Defense scenario, presenting brief considerations on the necessary precautions on different phases of this kind of mission, and detailing the radiological monitoring of aircrew members in radiological and nuclear events. This analysis focuses on H-36 Caracal aircraft, in which a careful technical analysis on the operational condition of pilots for this kind of mission is performed, as long as the appropriate dose conversion factors for radiation measurements. We also performed practical detector positiong experiments and suggested the possible use of individual monitors in the side pocket of the operational overall, warning on the need of the use of correction factors for conversion of measured dose to effective dose incident on aircrew body in this type of scenario.