Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
0 comments 
Trucks In Siberia Use Retired MiG Fighter Engines To Blow Superheated Air And Clear Frozen Runways In Minutes
In Russia, especially in the Siberia, the intense cold requires creative solutions. One that stands out is trucks equipped with engines from planes used to clear airport runways. These unusual machines remove snow and ice in minutes, blasting jets of hot air directly onto the surface.
The most curious aspect is that many of these engines came from retired MiG-15 fighters. Produced on a large scale in the Soviet Union from the late 1940s, the jet became an icon of the Cold War.
With thousands of units manufactured, parts remained abundant after its gradual retirement from service.
-
R$ 5,000 scattered on the street, a lost wallet, and an honest decision: the case in Goiás that moved even those who only read the story
-
Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.
-
ET in Paraná? After intriguing videos, mysterious sounds in the forest, and theories that dominated social media, the Brazilian Air Force reveals what its radars recorded and increases the mystery about the alleged UFO seen in Campo Largo.
-
In North Korea, residents take bottles, plastic, fabric, paper, and metal to recycling shops and exchange waste for products as sanctions, closed borders, and a more than 80% drop in trade with China pressure the country to replace imports.
Today, only North Korea maintains some active examples, used solely for training.
Jet Blower
The secret of these machines lies in the Klimov VK-1 engines, derived from the British Rolls-Royce Nene. Adapted into six-wheeled heavy trucks, they were installed in the chassis.
The exhaust nozzle was adjusted downward and backward to direct the superheated air directly against the ground.
When the system is turned on, the jet blows air at temperatures reaching 600 °C at extreme speed. This melts the ice and shoots the snow away in seconds.
Thus, the runway is quickly cleared without the need for aggressive scraping.
Advantages And Challenges
Among the main advantages is speed. An area that would take hours with traditional methods can be cleared in minutes.
Furthermore, the process melts even the layers of ice stuck to the asphalt, ensuring greater safety.
Another positive aspect is the preservation of the surface. Since there’s no direct contact, the asphalt doesn’t get scratched and markings aren’t damaged. The guidance lights are also protected.
The most important thing is that this efficiency comes at a cost. The blowers consume enormous amounts of fuel and produce extremely loud noise typical of jet engines.
Additionally, they emit large volumes of polluting gases, a challenge for airports trying to reduce environmental impacts.
Where The Inspiration Came From
The idea of repurposing military engines emerged in the 1960s. At the time, the Soviet Union had warehouses full of still functional aircraft parts. Instead of discarding them, engineers sought practical applications.
For this reason, locomotives and railway vehicles also received turbines to clear snow-covered tracks. The concept proved useful in different areas.
Other Examples
Not only the Soviet Union invested in this resource. In the United States, Nascar tracks began using vehicles known as jet dryers. Equipped with aircraft turbines, they dry the asphalt after rain or melt ice.
Even today, modernized versions are still in operation in races, demonstrating how out-of-service engines can gain new utility.
With information from UOL.
-
-
-
-
-
18 people reacted to this.