New York – Three American Airlines Boeing 767-200s that fly daily round-trip between New York and California will be outfitted with anti-missile laser jammers, aimed at thwarting terrorists armed with shoulder-fired projectiles, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which is spending $29 million on the tests.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Jets will fly with the jammer device mounted on the belly of the plane, between the wheels. The device works with sensors, also mounted on the plane, that detect a heat-seeking missile and shoot a laser at it to send the missile veering harmlessly off course.
Officials emphasize that no missiles will be test-fired at the planes, which will fly between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and the international airports in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The systems could be installed for somewhere from $500,000 to $1 million per plane, and it's unclear how much it would cost to maintain them. [usatoday]
The purpose of the tests is to determine how well the laser-jamming technology works on routine flights, how the devices affect fuel consumption and how much maintenance they require, according to Keirstead.
The Defense Department uses laser-jamming technology on its planes, but using the systems on commercial airliners is much more controversial because of concerns about cost and maintenance.
“If this is going to break down every other month vs. every fifth year, obviously that’s a big, big difference,” says Jim Tuttle of the Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology division.
Keirstead says the systems could be installed for somewhere from $500,000 to $1 million per plane, but it’s unclear how much it would cost to maintain them. Airlines have balked at paying the cost, and Congress would have to decide whether the federal government would foot the bill.
American Airlines spokesman John Hotard says company officials agreed to participate in the tests in case Congress eventually requires airlines to install the devices.
But American is “philosophically opposed” to anti-missile technology on commercial planes, he says. “When you look at the cost benefit, it would be an extremely expensive proposition, and in the end, is it really going to work?”
I believe this is a extremely expensive, but worthless project that is making some people very rich.
It may also tempt some jerks to test it.
aa pilot: Nope. I was working for the Government at the time, so I wasn’t selling anything.
DHS got the DIRCMS rammed down their throat by Congress. These devices won’t work technically. They are too costly to implement, and the RMO costs will break the airlines’ bank. Plus the externally mounted ones affect the aircraft aerodynamics, hence the fuel costs, hence the bottom line, the latter of which is all that matters. Also, if you want to outfit all 6000 aircraft in the commercial (not general aviation) fleet, it’ll take 15 years at the current production rates, and by then it’ll be ancient, ineffective technology.
I can’t go into more details here. If you have a SIPRNET or JWICS account, I’ll be happy to continue the conversation on those channels. (:-)
“Officials emphasize that no missiles will be test-fired at the planes”
Oh, yeah, like someone’s going to volunteer to fly the plane while someone else tries to shoot it down.
Anonymous said…
Don’t get me started. I’ve worked this technology for years. It won’t work. Period.
January 4, 2008 8:32 AM
===================================
what happened ? the airlines refused a contract with your technology? poor u
Don’t get me started. I’ve worked this technology for years. It won’t work. Period.