The humble office water cooler bottle is being deployed in the latest military hardware to deal with hostage situations and terrorist threats. Cardiff-based BCB International has developed the Wall Breaker, a bizarre cannon that fires the water bottles into buildings at high speed. The firm is already exporting it to military and security forces worldwide.
The pneumatic device, which can be used in hostage rescues, fires water-cooler bottles at 300m (984ft) a second to break into buildings. Jonathan Delf who runs the company's marine projects, explained that the Wall Breaker has advantages over traditional methods of gaining entry to buildings and structures.
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"Security teams, counter-terrorism officers might use explosives. If you're trying to rescue a hostage, that's pretty dangerous because the explosion and the debris can cause damage," said Mr Delf. "Our system uses compressed air and it fires a charge, a big barrel of water - and that impact can smash through a double layer breeze-block wall". In testing, the company used ordinary plastic water-cooler bottles full of water, each weighing 22Kg (48.5lb).
"What's great about using water is that the casing shatters and it just sprays out. It means security teams are much closer to the point of entry, giving them vital seconds," Mr Delf added. The company says it has sold the system to security forces and the military in a number of countries including the USA and Thailand.
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