Commercial Anti-Missile Laser on Fed-Ex Jets

[Willit Run]

This is pretty interesting.  Soon they will have the ability to fire back!!

 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/88994.aspx

Cory

[Chris_F]

[quote]This is pretty interesting.

[Craig.]

i'd imagine cargo carriers see big business in the middle east, places like iraq and afghanistan for military contracts. These are places that fed-ex and co would benifit from the technology in the short term i'd imagine.

[Chris_F]

i'd imagine cargo carriers see big business in the middle east, places like iraq and afghanistan for military contracts. These are places that fed-ex and co would benifit from the technology in the short term i'd imagine.

Still, I think an immediate installation of traditional flare launchers would pay more divedens than a development contract for (maybe) a more capable laser based system in the future.

[Ivan]

If a laser was effective against missiles.... every current goalkeeper / phalanx equipped boat would have their lead spewer replaced with one.

IIRC aren't a lot of Israeli airliners equipped with flares?

They are planning to do this but AFAIK the only plane that has an operational flare system is the one that is used by the government (which is always a 757 as the system is built for a 757)
They removed it directly after the incident happened as the plane was compromised (only long 757 from Israir)... and there are no pictures of the plane involved fom a few months before the incident until a few months after...

i'd imagine cargo carriers see big business in the middle east, places like iraq and afghanistan for military contracts. These are places that fed-ex and co would benifit from the technology in the short term i'd imagine.

For high risk you hire crazy Russians... with An-12s (which are basically milspec and have a far lower exhaust signature).

And even the best flare systems are useless against fairly recent MANPADs anyway... the ones in Kenya were SA-7s that are as likely to go for the sun as for an engine

[C]

And at least my company is partering with actual airlines.  Does anyone thing a terrorist is really itching to shoot down a cargo plane?

The Belgian crew of the Airbus hit in Iraq may have other views...

[flyboy 28]

Too late for these guys..

http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php ... &view=true

[C]

Too late for these guys..

http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php ... &view=true

Thankfully with a little luck and skill they were ok...

[elite marksman]

From what I gathered from the article, the purpose of the pod isn't to destroy the missile, but to overload its seeker head, causing it to lose lock and veer off target.

This may not be as effective against anti-ship missiles as the majority are radar-guided, while a few, like the Penguin are IR guided. Also, it would be completely useless against an ARM missile should the enemy get one.

Would be nice if CBN hired editors that knew English grammar as well.

[born_2_fly]

This is pretty interesting.  Soon they will have the ability to fire back!!

 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/88994.aspx

Cory

Yeah, my company is developing something very similar.  Frankly I don't see how they can ever be cost-effective especially considering the low probability of the threat.  If IR missiles were a real threat to commercial aircraft you'd think they'd all be equipped with flares (IIRC aren't a lot of Israeli airliners equipped with flares?)  These jammer things, although valuable on military platforms, just seem like a solution looking for a problem on commercial airliners.

And at least my company is partering with actual airlines.  Does anyone thing a terrorist is really itching to shoot down a cargo plane?

I'm suprised these defense contractors (like my own employer) aren't also trying to push RF countermeasures...  

But remember, this isn't going to be a fleet wide re-fit. Most likely only 2-3 aircraft will be equipped with such systems, and these aircraft will be the only ones flying to the danger zones.

[Chris_F]

From what I gathered from the article, the purpose of the pod isn't to destroy the missile, but to overload its seeker head, causing it to lose lock and veer off target.

This may not be as effective against anti-ship missiles as the majority are radar-guided, while a few, like the Penguin are IR guided. Also, it would be completely useless against an ARM missile should the enemy get one.

They'd be totally useless against something like a Penguin as well.

[VVM]

[quote][quote]This is pretty interesting.

[flyboy 28]

and these aircraft will be the only ones flying to the danger zones.

Am I really the one that has to do it?

*sigh*


*sings off-key*
"Hiiiiighwayyyy tooo.. the danger zone"

[Chris_F]

[quote]may i ask who you work for chris?

[VVM]

[quote][quote]may i ask who you work for chris?