CANBERRA, Australia, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The operational testing in the United States of an anti-missile system for commercial aircraft is creating a stir in Australia.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, speaking after a U.N. meeting in New York, said he was "not dismissive of the idea" of mandating their use by Australian airlines if the tests prove the efficacy of the system.
Australian airlines, eyeing possibility of costs of mandatory installation, are choking over costs and who would have to pay.
"Aviation security is an industry-wide issue, it's not just about airlines," The Weekend Australian quoted a spokesman for the Australian carrier, Virgin Blue. "It shouldn't just come down to the airlines having to pay for things."
The security system is called the Guardian and has been designed by Northrop Grumman. It was attached to the underside of a FedEx MD-10 aircraft that flew out from Los Angeles International Airport as part of testing sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Nine such aircraft will be equipped with the prototype system during testing that will last until next year.
"The Guardian is "a defensive aid utilizing proven military technology to defend against the threat posed by anti-aircraft, shoulder-fired missiles," a Northrop Grumman statement said. "Once launched, the missile is detected by the Guardian system, which then directs a non-visible, eye-safe laser to the seeker head of the incoming missile, disrupting its guidance system."
Military experts believe as many as 50,000 shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles in the world that are outside the control of national militaries.
Terrorists attempted unsuccessfully to shoot down an Israeli airliner in Kenya in 2002 using just such a missile.
Qantas, Australia's national airline, operates 130 passenger aircraft; Virgin Blue operates 50, the newspaper said in its Saturday edition.
The Rand Corp. estimates equipping all U.S. airlines with the system now could be as high as $11 billion.
