Anti Missile Commercial Jetliners...

[cthulhu77]

How long before they start carrying anti-rads too ?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/16/airline...e.ap/index.html

[Shasper]

Might as well fit the civvies w/ military grade avionics suits (by that I mean RWR, ECM, chaff/flare ect).

Shas B)  

[Rafael]

signs of the times we're living.....

[jcf]

The Israeli's have flown with counter-measures on El Al aircraft for years, they've never been very forthcoming with just what exactly.

Cheers, Jon

[B777LR]

OMG! IAI has been marketing their own systems for ages, and CNN only just noticeses now!?!? Anyone know what happened to that deal with UK govement banning El Al, due to the flares in the defence system?

[anthonyp]

I got an old buddy of mine working on this type of stuff at a government lab outside of Boston.  A year ago, he rolled his eyes at the project.  This past December, he said "They've gotten better."

[cthulhu77]

Flares and chaff?  C'mon, the newer systems are so far advanced it isn't even funny.  The reason CNN picked up on it so broadly  is that many of the airlines are switching from the old IFF systems to a much newer, privately funded, set of anti AA missile setup.
 Some of the new technology in the private sector is far beyond the military.

  Spooky.

[RP1]

" Some of the new technology in the private sector is far beyond the military"

Depends on which bit of the military - the RAF aircraft used to fly Royalty around have DIRCM pods on the back.

As for RAF Hercules....

RP1  

[jcf]

The DIRCM system mounted on the FED-EX MD-10 is based on N-G's military system.
I dealt with the interfaces a little when I was working on the Wedgetail project back in 2002, the new system is evidently better than the one that the Aussies purchased. Of course on Wedgetail it is only part of the self-defense system, the majority of the system is built by IAI.

Cheers, Jon

[Son of Damian]

What a waste. You just know the air lines are going to start charing a little more so they can pay for this stuff

It would be one thing if air lines were adding this gear to aircraft that mainly operate in conflict areas like Africa or the Mideast, both of which have seen attempts by terrorists to shoot down an commerical jet with a shoulder fired SAM. But adding it to aircraft in the Americas is just a waste.

This isn't going to make people feel safer and this isn't going to get more people to fly. If you want more people to fly why don't they give coach more space and actually serve food on the flight.(What a novel idea ) Not adding a sh*t load of extra security because some terror plot that had nothing to do with the US was uncovered in some country most Americans never heard of would be nice. And if the security guards didn't give you the feeling that they would give you a strip/full body cavity search for simply blinking one too many times more people would be willing to fly.

[Shasper]

SoD, If the *insert whatever group name here* can shoot down an airliner overseas, whats stopping then from doinf it here? While the chances are remote, it's still possible because Manpads like the Stinger, Strela ect are very hard to keep track of & are easy to hide.

Think about this, what if someone did shoot down an airliner today, what would be the reaction of Congress tomorrow? We've been living real easy & not taking precautions about security untill AFTER something has happened. For the first time that I can recall the Gov is actualy trying to get ahead of the game instead of waiting for an unfortunant event to occure.

Not adding a sh*t load of extra security because some terror plot that had nothing to do with the US was uncovered in some country most Americans never heard of would be nice. And if the security guards didn't give you the feeling that they would give you a strip/full body cavity search for simply blinking one too many times more people would be willing to fly.

Remember that dude that tried to detonate some plastic explosives by lighting-up his shoes? That happened on an A/C that took off from a US airport. And there has been other incidents that have happened HERE, in the USA. And, how many people havent heard of jolly ol' England?

About you comment on the food, I would agree with that. It seems to me that if the Fed hadnt deregulated the airline routes, then the industry wouldnt be as much of a penny pincher as it is now.



Shas B)

[Son of Damian]

whats stopping then from doing it here?

Getting here... what is the likely hood that an Al-Qeada terrorist from the mideast, africa, or even europe, could even get here, not to mention with a SAM. And on a related matter there has yet to be a single arrest of an Muslim-American for planning terrorist attacks in the US.

Remember that dude that tried to detonate some plastic explosives by lighting-up his shoes? That happened on an A/C that took off from a US airport.

IIRC that flight was actually coming from France and the shoe bomber was French or a French immigrant.

For the first time that I can recall the Gov is actualy trying to get ahead of the game instead of waiting for an unfortunant event to occure.

I know and I'm glad, but I'm just saying it seems like a waste to me as the threat to airliners in the US is porbably soo low that a meteor is more likely to bring down an airliner than a shoulder fired SAM. Really to me this just appears to more terrorists are out to get you BS that the media has been spewing since 911, conveintly forgetting to mention the fact that terrorist attacks are like lightning in that its incredibly unlikely one will hit you.

But given how the storm clouds seem to keep gathering, I bet it won't be long before all airliners have some sort of ECM gear and aircraft manufactures start designing the latest suits into there aircraft as standard ecquipment.  

[RP1]

IIRC that flight was actually coming from France and the shoe bomber was French or a French immigrant.

Nope, a fine Britsh export product



WikiWikiWaWaHyperlinky

RP1  

[elmayerle]

And some civil aircraft have had quite extensive fits for some time.  I was at Waco when the Sultan of Brunei's private 747 came through for some work.  That's quite a nice set of countermeasures fitted.

[Iranian F-14A]

LOL,Richard Reid,the shoebomber,what an idiot.As if trying to light your shoe on fire to blow up a jet isn't obvious.Getting back on topic though,is there any time before when a MANPADS has brought down a passenger liner? I know there was a BAe-146 that was hit with something(SA-7 maybe) over somepart of Africa.But IIRC,that was some sort of assasination plot and regardless,the plane landed fine,full of shrapnel,but still....).The only time I can think of off the top of my head is that DHL Airbus in Iraq (big suprise there),but it wasn't a total lose,and they just came around and landed,no big deal.I think a C-5 also had an engine knocked out by an SA-7 or something along those lines over there as well,but was able to land with no one on board hurt.