The United States government has reportedly committed USD100 million to research the possibility of fitting commercial aircraft with anti-missile systems.
The Guardian newspaper today reports that the US Department of Homeland Security is making “aggressive efforts” to adapt existing systems used by US forces, following reports that missiles were launched at an Israeli Boeing 757 as it took off from Kenya’s Mombasa airport last year.
The newspaper further reports that Congress wants a bill to be passed that would allow some USD10 billion to be spent on protecting the country’s commercial fleet. However, the US Homeland Security Office has reportedly estimated that it would cost USD2 million to upgrade a single aircraft to a military standard – and that upgrading the entire fleet could take many years.
As reported by News From Abroad in recent weeks, both British Airways and Qantas have announced that they are looking into similar systems.
