Free Republic

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...

The "Flight Guard" electronic counter-measure system to protect civilian aircraft against shoulder-fired surface to air missiles will be installed on El Al planes in June, as part of an Israel Civil Aviation Administration (ICAA) test, Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), however, refuses to allow civilian planes to be equipped with the flare-based system due to the safety risks. According to Transportation Ministry spokesman Avner Ovadiah, the new anti-missile system will be installed on one El Al aircraft in June, with tests lasting two to three months. If the tests are successful, he said,...