[GAB-1955]

' And when will these be installed on airlines planes for the "common folk?""

It's being certified now for several models of commercial aviation, including, I think, the MD-10, MD-11, 737, and 747.

[zipper]

Northrop Grumman has received supplemental type certification (STP) from the FAA to fly three aircraft using the DIRCM technology -- the MD-11, MD-10 and the Boeing 747.

[snip]

Northrop Grumman's Guardian system features a 50-pound pod, shaped like a small, upside canoe, fitted to the belly...The system operates independently of the aircraft's pilot in identifying a missile threat and then firing a burst from a laser that forces the attacking missile to "make a violent turn" away from the aircraft, said Jack Pledger, director of Infrared Counter Measures Business Development for Northrop Grumman. The process takes about two to three seconds, faster than a human could react under the circumstances, he added.

Aviation Daily, 9/13/06

--------------------------

BAE Systems tested another system on a Boeing 767.

http://www.homelandsecuritynys.org/news/2005/tr21116.pdf