A group of IDF workers has spent a large part of the last several weeks in the desert in southern Israel, setting off bombs. Their goal: to find the safest windows in the world.

Major Benny Brosh, head of the research and development unit, explained the process to Arutz Sheva.

The army is responsible for testing the windows, along with similar devices developed by civilian firms that are now seeking high levels of safety certification, he said.  The military runs tests that include controlled explosions to see if the windows can stand up to shock waves, shrapnel, and even poison gases.

Brosh said that soon, building contractors will be required to install the highly protective windows in new homes. There is no one specific threat that the government is worried about, he said, simply a recognition that “as a state, we are located in a very unfriendly neighborhood in the Middle East.”

That reality has made Israel’s protective windows some of the most advanced in the world, he related. Many countries make use of Israeli windows in embassies, and airports and elsewhere.

Running the tests required coordination between the companies developing the products, the base at which they will be tested, and suppliers of materials including TNT for the blasts, he said. A fake building front is put up in which the windows are installed.

The building fronts are blasted twice a week, Brosh said, but the process remains exciting. Before each blast staff must sweep the area to ensure the area is clear.

After the explosion windows are examined to see how well they held up. Workers also test to see if the windows can be opened easily – a necessary feature to allow speedy rescue in case of emergency.

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165752#.US_X8FccPQt