Boeing has filed a patent application for a 155mm shell filled with flame suppressant to assist crews in fighting wildfires, Defense One reported. It is estimated the shells, which would feature a trigger for releasing their payload near a fire with a high level of accuracy, would deliver suppressant up to twice as efficiently as a helicopter airdrop. In addition, “aircraft payload delivery accuracy may be diminished due to wind, rain, and/or smoke” and “aircraft can’t deliver flame-retardant payloads at night,” according to the application. The shells would provide firefighters an additional tool that would compensate for these deficiencies. Some guns could achieve accuracy within 15 feet of a target blaze from a range of 15 miles with the firefighting shells, which would be constructed of “environmentally friendly” material that would decompose after breaking apart.
The Defense Department hasn’t seen an increase in domestic violence reports among military families since the new coronavirus crisis began, despite the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly causing a spike in such activity across the globe, the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Military Family Readiness Policy told reporters Oct. 29. However,…