Northrop, BAE Says Systems Are Ready For Widespread Use

The threat of shoulder-fired missiles striking commercial aircraft is seen as very real... not just against passenger-carrying airliners, but for cargo operators as well. If you need confirmation of that, recall the November 2003 missile attack against an Airbus A300 flying for freight hauler DHL near Baghdad.

That attack -- which, fortunately, resulted in no injuries -- caught the attention of other cargo haulers, as well... and over the next 18 months, FedEx will equip 11 of its Boeing MD-10 Freighters with a missile deterrent system designed by Northrop Grumman.

Called the Guardian, the defense system uses a multi-band laser to throw off the infrared heat detectors employed in many shoulder-fired missiles.

The move is a part of a $109 million feasibility study conducted by the Department of Homeland Security to see if such a system can be implemented fleet-wide in a cost-effective manner.

The bathtub-sized Guardian system is also certified for use on the MD-11 and Boeing's 747.

Bloomberg reports that, like Northrop, competitor BAE Systems is also working on missile-defense technology --  and both manufacturers believe their systems are ready for prime time, with an estimated cost per passenger seat mile (CASM) of $.003.

That's an assertion John Meenan, executive vice president of the Air Transport Association, disputes.

"We have seen no evidence to suggest that they can get this technology to a level where it is realistic in terms of the commercial operating environment," said Meenan in a recent interview.

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com, www.baesystems.com, www.fedex.com