Jet engines are designed to propel aircraft through the skies, but their immense power and searing heat have also been put to work in unexpected ways on the ground.
From battling raging oil fires to melting thick layers of ice and snow, these high-powered machines have proven their worth far beyond aviation.
One of the most fascinating applications of these powerful engines is in firefighting, specifically for tackling oil well blazes.
This unusual and powerful tool traces its roots back to the Cold War, designed initially by Hungarian engineers for a very different purpose: mass decontamination of tanks in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attack. However, its role evolved in an unexpected way.
The Hungarian system used to extinguish fires on Iraq’s oil fields. (1990s)
The machine, aptly named “Big Wind,” was an innovative hybrid that combined the robust chassis of a T-55 tank with the fiery thrust of two MiG-21 jet engines mounted atop it.
The result was an extraordinary firefighting machine capable of generating immense water pressure to extinguish even the fiercest fires.
This hybrid creation was first put to use by legendary firefighter Paul Neal “Red” Adair, a man renowned for his ability to control catastrophic oil well fires, often under the most hazardous conditions.
Operating “Big Wind” required three crew members: a driver who controlled the tank’s movement, a controller in the rear cabin responsible for managing the jet engines and water jets, and a fire chief positioned about 15 feet away, overseeing the operation with a remote-control unit.
When activated, the six water nozzles above the MiG engines unleashed a powerful blast of water, which mixed with the searing jet exhaust to create a massive spray of steam.
The water flowed at an astonishing rate of 220 gallons per second—twice the daily water usage of a typical U.S. household. If connected to a suburban swimming pool, the machine could drain it in just about 50 seconds.
“Big Wind” proved to be an invaluable asset in the battle against colossal oil well fires, particularly during Operation Desert Storm.
After Saddam Hussein ordered the destruction of Kuwait’s oil fields in 1991, setting hundreds of wells ablaze, teams of elite firefighters relied on this powerful machine to help control the raging infernos.
“Hurricane” firefighting vehicle, which mounts a R-13-300 jet engine from the MiG 21 on the chassis of a T-55 tank. The engine blows a mist of water over the fire, which extinguishes it from a distance. This example is in the Fulda German Firefighter’s Museum.
Melting Snow with Jet Engines: Incredible Photos of a MiG-15 Clearing Frozen Tracks
When winter storms bury landscapes under thick blankets of snow, clearing the way demands more than just shovels and plows.
While traditional snow removal methods are effective for driveways and streets, extreme conditions call for a far more powerful solution: jet engines.
These roaring machines, originally designed to propel aircraft through the skies, have proven to be remarkably effective at blasting away snow and ice, a manifestation to their sheer force and heat output.
Czechoslovak railroad workers defrosting railroad tracks using a MiG-15 engine during a severe snowstorm in 1970.
The mechanics behind this unconventional method are straightforward. Jet engines generate tremendous thrust, often thousands of pounds of force, powerful enough to scatter packed snow like dust in the wind.
At the same time, their exhaust reaches searing temperatures, often around 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, instantly melting ice and compacted drifts.
This combination of raw power and intense heat turns jet engines into colossal, high-speed snow blowers capable of clearing paths in ways that traditional methods simply cannot match.
Jet-powered snow removal has been in use for decades. New York City introduced its first jet-powered snow blower for train tracks in the late 1960s, drastically reducing the time required to clear vital railway lines.
A single jet blower could accomplish in hours what once took days with conventional plows and manual labor.
Around the same time, the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, including Poland and Czechoslovakia, began deploying jet-powered trucks to clear snow-covered runways.
Jet engines from MiG 15 used for melting snow and warming up switches, Czechoslovakia, 1960s.
Despite their effectiveness, jet-engine snow blowers have their downsides. The most significant drawback is cost, these machines require enormous amounts of fuel, making them an expensive solution for a relatively simple task.
For this reason, most jet-powered snow removal systems have relied on retired aircraft engines, particularly from decommissioned fighter jets.
This photo shows how Polish used Mig-15 combat planes to de-ice railroad tracks in the 1960s.
In the Soviet Union, many of these snow blowers were equipped with Klimov VK-1 engines, the first mass-produced Soviet jet engines, which had once powered MiG-15 fighters.
While no longer considered reliable enough for aerial combat, these engines were more than sufficient for snow removal, where a sudden failure carried far fewer consequences.
Even today, jet-powered snow blowers remain in use, particularly along the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Like their Soviet counterparts, most still operate using repurposed aircraft engines—many dating back to the Cold War era.
Old MIG-15 engines are being reused by Russian Forces to melt down snow from airfields and aircraft carriers by fitting them into heavy trucks.
Old MIG-15 engines are being reused by Russian Forces to melt down snow from airfields and aircraft carriers by fitting them into heavy trucks.
(Photo credit: RHP / Drive2.ru / Wikimedia Commons / Melody Xian with permission via Flickr).