The Register
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The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that it will mount testbed anti-missile defence kit on three airliners this year, in order to assess how it affects performance in the commercial aviation environment.
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Aerospace Daily & Defense Report reports that the DHS will pay defence/aerospace giant BAE Systems $29m to install its “JetEye” equipment on a trio of American Airlines planes.
JetEye detects the exhaust plume of incoming missiles using electro-optic sensors. It is designed to counter infrared-seeking weapons which home on the aircraft’s own hot jet exhausts, which it does by focusing a suitable laser on the missile. This dazzles the missile seeker head, causing it to lose lock on the aeroplane.
Shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles of the kind thought likely to be employed by terrorists normally use infrared homing. Weapons of this type are not common in the way that unguided RPG-type rockets are, and they require more skillful use and maintenance. However they are widely enough distributed that security agencies see them as a plausible future threat, perhaps even in Western countries. Such small, lightweight missiles are not effective above 10,000 feet or so, and as a result airliners are normally vulnerable to them only during landing and takeoff. Nowadays, the likeliest threat according to intelligence analysts is the latest Russian makes, in particular SA-14s thought to have been supplied to Iran. It is theorized that these weapons have been passed on to Shi’ite groups in Iraq, and perhaps other locations.
Star Wars technology meets commercial airlines. Unfortunately, its an idea whose time has probably come. This is an updated story covered in an earlier posting.
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Watch for the lawsuits when false positives cause the system to laser some people at the airport watching the planes land and takeoff. This will probably happen when the planes fly over a heavy industrial area whose smokestacks could produce the correct anmount of heat and particulates to trigger the sensor. This will proabably not happen in America because there is so little heavy industry left.
This seems odd. Seems like a hijackers best friend if an F-16 can’t shoot down the airliner because of a missle defense system. But maybe it won’t work against fighter jets.
This stuff doesn’t work. It just doesn’t work. Ask any military pilot how they get rid of locked on missiles… turn like crazy and drop flares…
Laser beams to dazzle an incoming missile with a 10 second flight time… gimme a f’ing break!
They are spending money on this crap that doesn’t work, while the air traffic control system itself is waaaay behind the times.
What will they claim next.. a “universal” vaccine for the flu??? HA!
How long before a software bug causes it to zap some innocent little Cessna flying nearby?
Planes with frickin’ lasers.
Yuck. As is common in most humans, this shows bad risk judgment.
How many commercial airliners are shot down by missiles every year? How about in history?
Now how much will it cost to outfit even a few of the planes with this “let’s promote costly, technological ‘feel-good’ safety measures instead of actually doing something to increase safety” feature?
Its all good fun till someone loses an eye!
“They are spending money on this crap that doesn’t work, while the air traffic control system itself is waaaay behind the times.”
Its my understanding that the money has already been given to the various airports and airlines to update air trafic control, but was spent on other projects such as retiling bathrooms and increasing vending and retail space.
I’ve got a better way to spend money on air transit. Force the only industy in the country that doesn’t have to follow ADA law to start! it is the only industry that doesn’t have to make provisions for wheelchair access to the vehicle or make sure there is an a safe area to store the chair in the passenger compartment. And I am tired of hearing “Having this much weight on in a condensed area in the passenger compartment changes flight carachteristics of the aircraft.” This is bunk. Most power chairs weigh around 300 lbs. I’m sure there are many passengers that weigh more than that.
And if you’re not going to let me store it in the passenger compartment, I want YOU to insure that it will arrive at the destination unharmed. I know of 4 people that use chairs that have had them lost or destroyed, including myself, and everyone got the same line, “we’re not responsible for damaged or lost luggage. The disclaimer when you checked the chair clearly stated that you would have to privately insure your luggage.” Insureance for a 300 lbs, $20,000 piece of equipment can run upwards of $500 per flight. Add that to a ticket and you might as well charter a plane.
Sorry for the rant. I just think more people need to know how deeply desturbed this industry has gotten in the US beyond just the obvious coruption. These practices are not acceptable the EU.
p.s. Money has also been alocated to upgrade the jetways and planes to accomadate persons that use wheelcahairs. Sometime in the late 90’s.
I gotta ask..does Cheney own stock in BAE..maybe Bushie too ?
#8. Not a bad rant, sorry but, there are those amongst us who would suggest you charter that plane so we don’t have to incur increased airfare costs just to accomodate your physical difficulties..I’m not one but then, I can’t afford to fly that often at any rate and I wouldn’t mind an extra buck if I could only be certain it actually went where it was supposed to go instead of..say..a bribe to some politico so the airline industry could avoid spending money for the benefit of customers vs. their stockholders. You know the story..it is after all the AMERICAN WAY and if’n you ain’t with us youse agin us !! Vote your heart and soul off..I don’t care for whom..just kick start your lazy ass neighbor to go along when you vote !!
Have you ever noticed that when someone wants to disparage the idea of using lasers for something, they call it “Laser Beams”, other wise, they just call it “Lasers”.
I don’t know if this has merit or not. Its interesting though to notice that one little detail in the blog title tells you all you need to know about the author’s opinion.