The defense contractors believe a missile attack on an airliner would be disastrous for the US economy, and that they can develop technology to avert such an assault.
A terrorist watches an airliner loaded with Disney-bound tourists begin its regularly scheduled descent to Orlando International Airport. He puts a smuggled anti-air missile to his shoulder and fires at the plane.
Both systems have been in development, and their manufacturers say they are ready for testing. Northrop Grumman and UK-based BAE Systems each have received $45 million USD contracts from the Department of Homeland Security to develop the laser anti-missile systems.
Potentially, they could be installed on the 6,800 commercial airliners in the United States, at a cost of about $6 billion USD, according to USA Today.
Raytheon believes its “Vigilant Eagle” system would be a less costly alternative and work just as well. “Not only has our Vigilant Eagle system been proven effective, but it looks to be at least 10 times less costly than the current aircraft-based countermeasure programs now in development,” Raytheon said in a statement.
The Vigilant Eagle system has three components, a missile warning system, a central controlling computer, and a High-power Amplifier-Transmitter array. Raytheon’s system can also determine the launch point of a missile, which would help a fast-responding security team possibly catch the shooter.
BAE plans to begin tests using an out-of-service Boeing 767 airliner in early September. Raytheon discussed its system at a briefing at the recent Paris Air Show, and says it can be ready well ahead of other systems for deployment.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
