Antimissile plan in store for airliners

[stevedeshazer]

The U.S. government orders a study as the first step toward equipping commercial planes with military-style defenses.

<snip>

WARSHINGTON - Concerned that airline travelers are increasingly vulnerable to terrorist missile attacks, the government is developing plans to equip commercial airliners with the same protective countermeasures that military pilots use to fend off enemy missiles.

Thousands of easily concealed shoulder-fired missiles are within quick reach of terrorist groups from the world's black-market arms bazaars. In August, FBI agents arrested a British citizen in New Jersey suspected of trying to peddle a Russian-made SA-18, a newer-generation surface-to-air missile.

''As of today,'' defense analyst Loren Thompson said, ``commercial airliners are naked against the potential of such a threat.''

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security selected three companies to develop plans for equipping the nation's approximately 7,000 airliners with devices to counter missile attacks. Testing and development will take two years and cost nearly $100 million.


more: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/7688553.htm
__________________________________________________________________

I've been :silly: to accuse Bushco of militarizing space. They're working on the militarization of the troposphere instead.

Fear. Deadly, terrorizing, paralyzing fear. All the time, 24/7/366.

[ahimsa]

1. All these commercial planes..

..will make pretty good troop carriers into hot zones. And we'll probably need them if Bush gets re-selected.

:tinfoilhat:

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Another idea from the Gore Commission playbook...

And it's long overdue...

Gore Commission Final Report

<snip>
7. Assess the viability of anti-missile defense systems.. Whether or not the explosion of TWA 800 turns out to have been due to a surface-to-air missile attack, as some eye-witness accounts suggest, missile attacks have downed passenger planes in other countries, and it is a risk that should be evaluated. The Commission will continue to analyze this problem in cooperation with the Department of Defense and other government agencies.
</snip>

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. maaaaahvolous idea ! furget boxcutters, give da terrarists weaponss !

.
.
. an airplaine doesn't need weapons aboard, I'm sure a highjacker could use them as an offensive weapons ?

and since when have terrarists "shot" at commercial airlines, except over "occupied" Iraq ?

Bad idea, bad, - because IF the terrarists had any idea to "down" commercial airliners with RPG's or the like, and this plan gets the "go-ahead", well, you figure it, the BEST time for terrarists to do such attacks would be RIGHT NOW !

Dumm dumm - Murikkkans still tryna win everything with bombs n bullets.

Sooner or later SOMEONE in the US Admin may get the idea that the Administration need to try to "get along" with the world ?

naah, silly idea.

Brute force is the way to go - - -

(sigh)

[punpirate]

4. Has any other nation gotten this bent out of shape...

... about terrorism? Never.

"Testing and development will take two years and cost nearly $100 million." Why? Air Force One is basically a commercial 747 with special gear. Anti-missile systems have already been developed and installed on it.

The real cost of this insanity is in the implementation and installation. There's no justification for such, either. Domestic aircraft have never been attacked by ground-to-air missiles within our shores (well, except for the possibility that TWA 800 was downed by a shipboard missile from our own navy). The likelihood of such is fairly small.

Fear, more money to aerospace, what's next? Auto-detonation devices on transit buses?

Who knows. This is just the beginning.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. I see the TWA 800 issue is long from dead

.
.
. Trailing the Truth About TWA Tragedy

Sunday, December 21, 2003

LOS ANGELES— Much of Ray Lahr's life has been about serving his country.

He entered the Navy during World War II and became a fighter pilot. Later, as a pilot for United Airlines and a safety committee member for the Air Line Pilots Association, he assisted the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigations of eight airplane crashes.

/snip/

Lahr believes a missile struck TWA 800 but isn't sure whether it was fired by terrorists or the U.S. military. Military aircraft and water craft were in the vicinity of the crash.

/snip/

And if you're a dedicated follower of this issue - here is a great site:

[stevedeshazer]

7. and $100 BILLION

to implement!

[Jazzgirl]

5. Hmmm....wondering about the so-called peddler of surface to air missiles.

"In August, FBI agents arrested a British citizen in New Jersey suspected of trying to peddle a Russian-made SA-18, a newer-generation surface-to-air missile."

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the guy the government set up? I seem to recall (and it could be faulty) this guy was approached by somebody in the FBI/CIA about obtaining these missiles??!!??

Jazzgirl

[jayfish]

12. Yup, Thats The Guy. Here Is A Link For You.

Salon Story

Jay

[TrueStory]

8. Anti Anti-missile system

Northrop and BAE are developing plans for a new generation of laser defenses, which have been used in military aircraft since the Vietnam War. The system will be contained in a pod, also called a canoe because of its shape, on the bottom of the fuselage. Sensors will maintain a 360-degree vigil around the aircraft. When a threat is detected, an intense laser beam will be directed at the missile, throwing it off course and away from the airplane.

what happens if the missile has a mirror in front?

The flares would be ejected automatically from dispensers on the aircraft, collectively forming a ''heat signature'' larger than that of the airplane, tricking the missile into veering off course.

what happens if the missile is programmed to follow the smaller "heat signature"?

[loudnclear]

9. Can you just see a malfunction causing an anti-missile strike against

another plane?

We need to get these nuts not only our of office, but out of the country!

[GRClarkesq]

10. Doesn't EL AL already have such systems?

eom

[54anickel]

11. But, but how we gonna shoot down all them hijacked planes?