WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security is seeking new ways to protect airliners from shoulder-fired missiles.
The DHS last week released a solicitation for help in evaluating systems to defend against Man Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS. The department already is in the midst of a high-profile counter-MANPADS program that involves adapting military technology for use on commercial jets.
However, last week's solicitation specifically seeks other kinds of technology, GovExec.com reported Wednesday.
The program will evaluate systems that are based on existing component technologies, rather than new ones, the solicitation stated.
In 2004, Northrop Grumman Corp. and BAE Systems each won a $45 million contract to convert infrared, laser-based technology used by the military for use in civilian aircraft. The systems detect an incoming missile and fire a laser-beam into its path, jamming its guidance system.
The new solicitation said testing of those new systems "is proceeding well." But critics have questioned whether the systems are viable. They are expensive, costing between $1 million and $3 million per plane, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service. And so far they are not reliable enough for the commercial arena, where planes fly more frequently than in the military.
The DHS anticipates $7 million in funding for the effort to evaluate alternative counter-MANPAD technologies, according to the solicitation. DHS could issue up to four contracts, each lasting 18 months or less.
The new technology - based on the ground, on the plane or a hybrid of the two - should be able to defeat two or more incoming missiles 90 percent of the time, without interfering with other ground- or plane-based systems, the solicitation said.
The analysis of ground-based systems will be limited to the airports in Denver; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newark, N.J.; San Diego; and the Washington National Airport.
