El Al seeks U.S. okay for FlightGuard use

Haaretz ^ | April 27, 2004 | Zohar Blumenkrantz

[yonif]

Israel has asked the United States to allow El Al planes to land in its airports while equipped with new "FlightGuard" devices. FlightGuard is a special system designed to protect civil aircraft from missiles.

Israel Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who left at the end of last week on a trip to the U.S., will discuss the missile defense system with his American counterpart, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.

An initial test of the FlightGuard system on El Al aircraft is scheduled for this coming June. Israel's Transportation Ministry intends to equip all civilian aircraft with the missile defense system; as a first stage, the FlightGuard equipment is slated for installation on six El Al planes by the end of 2004.

The U.S. normally opposes allowing planes equipped with foreign defense systems to land in its airports. The opposition is based partly on the objection of environmental groups, which are concerned about possible damage. Trying to win approval from U.S. officials, Lieberman could provide assurances that the El Al planes will take off and land in the U.S. with their FlightGuard systems switched off.

[RonHolzwarth]

",,,the objection of environmental groups, which are concerned about possible damage. ,,,El Al planes will take off and land in the U.S. with their FlightGuard systems switched off."


I am seriously concerned!

CRASHING and BURNING airliners "might damage the environment".

[RonHolzwarth]

For D*MN SURE, crashing and burning airliners "damaged" the World Trade Center buildings,,,

It's a WAR, D*MMIT!!!

[American_Centurion]

What friggin good does it do to have the system if it is switched off during the only time the plane is vulnerable to shoulder launched missiles?

Might as well tell them to keep their jew butts in Israel and BTW stop murdering innocent Hamas leadership.

Sheesh! I swear this country has been infected with the talk out of your butt disease! Do elected official even bother to think anymore?

[KC_for_Freedom]

What friggin good does it do to have the system if it is switched off during the only time the plane is vulnerable to shoulder launched missiles?

Don't tell anyone, but I suspect that whatever is agreed to, the captain can switch things on in a heartbeat, and I suspect that wheels up may be when he declares he is no longer at the airport of note.

[RonHolzwarth]

you asked: "Do elected officials even bother to think anymore?"

No, not after the election, looks like.

[MonroeDNA]

Rush is right.

The communists never went away; they just joined the environmental wackos.

And they are officialy corrupted.