BAE anti-missile system on commercial jets too expensive and too cumbersome – what was the basis of the $29 million award by the Department of Homeland Security?
Sushmita Phadke
Jan. 5, 2008

Three American Airlines Boeing 767-200s that fly daily round-trip routes between New York and California will receive the anti-missile laser jammers this spring. The Department of Homeland Security is eager to test these anti-missile systems on US commercial jet liners as soon as possible.

The jamming device is mounted on the belly of the plane, between the wheels, and 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. While such "laser-jamming technology" currently exists on U.S. Department of Defense aircrafts, the idea of attaching the systems to commercial airliners is much more controversial because of concerns about cost and maintenance.

The anti-missile technology was developed for military planes, and U.K.-based BAE Systems PLC said Friday it won a $29 million (euro20 million) contract from the Department of Homeland Security to test it on passenger planes.

The system is too expensive and too cumbersome to maintain in busy commercial jet liners. The question arises what was basis of such award to BAE Systems knowing very well it will not work in commercial planes?

What were the criteria based on which this award was made? Why alternative technologies were not considered? Why US tax paers money was handed over to this UK based company knowing very well the limited viability of the same system that is used in US Department of Defense Planes.

It is not clear why Department of Homeland Security never cared to study the difference between the operational and cost performance of commercial airlines and that of department of Defense?

What is viable in a less stringent cost environment in the Department of Defense is not always commercially viable in the competitive world of commercial airlines. Who will pick up the tab of weight and operational cost of these equipments?

American Airlines said it is ``not in favor'''' of putting anti-missile systems on commercial planes but agreed to take part in the tests to understand technologies.

Is it case of wild experimentation at the cost of taxpayers money when recession in US can quadruple the budget deficit?

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