WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Where do fighter pilots traveling faster than the speed of sound go when they really need to `` go '' ? Pilots have struggled for years with the lack of toilet facilities in flight . Until recently , the answer has been : into a bag . But it 's not a great solution . `` Piddle packs '' -- heavy-duty bags containing absorbent sponges -- have been blamed for at least two crashes over the years , and they 're not always tidy . A few years ago , after enduring years of complaints from pilots , the Air Force let it be known that it was looking for an answer . A small medical equipment development company in Milton , Vermont answered the call . `` The DoD put out a list of projects they needed solutions for , '' said Mark Harvie , president of Omni Medical Solutions . `` Bladder relief for pilots was one of the items on the list and we were looking for a new project , '' he said . Watch how apparatus makes it possible for pilots to drink up , fly high » . That project turned into the Advanced Mission Extender Device , known in military jargon as the AMXD . After four years of testing by the Vermont Air National Guard and the Air Force and about $ 5 million in government and private funds , AMXD is spelling relief for pilots aloft . Under the old system , pilots routinely avoid liquids before taking off to prevent the unmentionable . But dehydration can make them more susceptible to the G-forces typically seen in fighter aircraft , Harvie said . When nature 's call becomes too pressing to ignore , a pilot has to fly and unbuckle the harness at the same time -- while using both hands to maneuver around in a seat to which he or she is virtually molded . The aerobatic maneuver is even harder for female pilots . On long or cold-weather flights , the amount of gear and clothing made the maneuver nearly impossible , and pilots would sometimes have no choice but to relieve themselves in their flight suits . In the AMXD , a cup for a man and a pad for a woman is strategically placed before the pilot dons a flight suit . An instructional DVD tells pilots : `` When the time comes to urinate , unzip the flight suit , remove the hose ... . The control unit will pump the urine from the cup to the collection bag , where it will be chemically gelled . '' See how the system works » . Pilots are free to think about other business . Harvie said the reviews have been positive from pilots of both genders . `` One woman had the device taken away after testing and was quite unhappy about having to return to the old method , '' he said . `` The AMXD worked as advertised . I believe it 's a much better system and needs to be fielded ASAP , '' says an unidentified pilot in a testimonial on the instructional DVD . The Air Force recently bought its first 300 systems for U.S. pilots around the world at $ 2,000 each . There 's room for expansion . The air service has more than 4,200 fighter pilots who fly planes that have no bathrooms , planes like the F-16 , F-15 , A-10 and the most advanced fighter , the F-22 . The system has already seen action in combat zones : Female helicopter pilots from the Netherlands used the system in Afghanistan . Harvie said it 's too early to know whether the device will become standard issue , but it has attracted plenty of interest . `` The Navy and Army are starting to look at the system for ground troops and carrier pilots , and looking at a version for private-sector uses , '' Harvie said . Harvie said the Belgian Air Force has bought the system for its F-16 pilots .
Fighter pilots used `` Piddle packs , '' heavy-duty bags , when they had to `` go '' `` Piddle packs '' blamed for at least two crashes over the years , not always tidy . Advanced Mission Extender Device , or AMXD , a new system for pilots . Air Force bought its first 300 units for U.S. pilots at $ 2,000 each .