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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFedEx Asks FAA to Let It Install Anti-Missile Lasers on Its Cargo Planes
With the right military equipment, a single person can target a plane from three miles away using a heat-seeking missile. While such a nightmare is a rare occurrence, FedEx has applied to the FAA seeking approval to install a laser-based, anti-missile defense system on its cargo planes as an added safety measure.
The basics of how heat-seeking missiles work is mostly self-explanatory. They target and track a source of heatsuch as the hot air coming out of a jets engineand automatically make in-flight course adjustments so the missile reaches its target without any input from the weapons operator. Theyve been popularized in action movies, but the technology is far from infallible.
Military planes carry flares that can be remotely ignited and ejected by a pilot to throw off a heat-seeking missiles targeting system with an alternate heat source, while the plane itself performs evasive maneuvers in an attempt to fool the incoming projectile. Those countermeasures are less effective for larger aircraft, however, with larger heat signatures as a result of multiple jet engines under each wing, and considerably less maneuverability than a fighter jet. An alternative solution is the use of a device that fires an infrared laser directly at an incoming missile in an attempt to disrupt its ability to track the aircrafts heat signature. Its not entirely unlike someone struggling to catch a baseball with the sun in their eyes, but with the sun actively tracking and targeting the person wearing the glove.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/fedex-asks-faa-to-let-it-install-anti-missile-lasers-on-its-cargo-planes/ar-AASMWxj?ocid=msedgntp
What could possibly go wrong
underpants
(182,830 posts)DBoon
(22,369 posts)Gidney N Cloyd
(19,841 posts)Ocelot II
(115,735 posts)Mr.Bill
(24,303 posts)There can be millions of dollars of cargo on those planes.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)They fly in and around some real hot spots. They probably are trying to position themselves to have some sort of defense.
bluecollar2
(3,622 posts)Are the basis of terrorism.
The idea that anyone or anything can be targeted is the philosophy.
Growing up on England during the seventies there was no doubt the IRA used those tactics. Pubs, buses, shopping centers were all fair game.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)And so far has had only 3 missiles land on the property
Yeah
what could POSSIBLY go wrong?
underpants
(182,830 posts)Shermann
(7,423 posts)Fire missiles at those jackasses on the ground with the laser pointers. That'll learn 'em.
underpants
(182,830 posts)but not DHL - thats the German Bundespost
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)It's a entirely defensive system using beams of light.