On July 11, a commercial American Airlines plane successfully completed its flight from New York to California, equipped with a missile-repelling system.
The JetEye system, developed by the United Kingdom-based BAE Systems, is an infrared missile defense system that diverts shoulder-fired missiles. It works by firing a laser once it detects heat-seeking missiles in order to divert it. “The flight represents the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s [or DHS] Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System program,” written in the article “Passenger plane flies with laser system that repels missiles” on CNN.com “[It is] designed to test the suitability of missile-protection equipment for commercial aircraft.” The JetEye was developed in Jan. 2004 during the early phases of the Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System program [also known as the Counter-MANPADS program.] It has received $105 million in funding, and BAE Systems was recently awarded a $29 million contract by DHS for a final suitability evaluation.
The purpose of JetEye being installed on a commercial flight is to counteract terrorist threats. Five hundred thousand to 700,000 shoulder-fired missile weapons have been manufactured worldwide, and sometimes sold for as little as $5,000 in Middle Eastern and Central Asian arms markets. BAE Systems has been working with American Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Services to test the system on commercial flights.
JetEye will also be installed in two more American Airlines 767-200 aircraft until March 2009 for daily cross-country flights, including FedEx and other cargo planes. Other defense companies, such as Northrop Grumman, have urged that the system be installed on commercial aircrafts that transport soldiers and equipment to war zones. American Airlines will not make this system mandatory, however they have agreed to cooperate with test flights. No missiles will be launched at the plane during the flights to test the system, however.
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