For years, military pilots, especially women flying fighter jets, have faced a frustrating and sometimes dangerous problem: how to pee during long missions. Traditional options like “piddle packs” have been uncomfortable, unreliable, and not designed with women in mind. The result? Many pilots, particularly women, opt to fly dehydrated rather than deal with the hassle, risking everything from headaches and impaired reflexes to G-induced loss of consciousness.

A new device called AIRUS (Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System) is aiming to change that. Developed through the Air Force’s innovation incubator programme and officially launched in January, AIRUS was created with women pilots’ needs as the starting point, as opposed to an afterthought. It includes five different cup sizes for women, dual-knit fabric underwear for comfort, and a pump system connected to a collection bag that can hold up to 1,800 milliliters (or roughly four to seven uses).

AIRUS has already been tested by pilots flying F-16s, F-15s, A-10s, and F-35s – from newcomers to lieutenant colonels – and the feedback has been positive. Pilots reported it didn’t interfere with flight maneuvers and allowed them to relieve themselves comfortably and discreetly.

For many, it’s a long-overdue shift. Some, like Shelley Mendieta, a retired colonel who’s been pushing for solutions since 2003, say this is the most hopeful moment in two decades of conversations around in-flight relief. Designed with women at the forefront, AIRUS is already catching the attention of male pilots too – a reversal of the usual design process in the military.

As one active-duty lieutenant colonel put it: “I really hope nothing is wrong with my airplane, and nobody needs to talk to me about troubleshooting anything because I’m going to pee my pants.” With AIRUS, that stress might finally be a thing of the past.

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