Directional Infrared Countermeasure
When a MANPADS missile is fired, it produces all forms of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. Sensors in Guardian's missile Cheap Air Max 2016 Black warning system detect the ultraviolet wavelengths and send a signal to the transmitter. Once the aircraft reaches approximately 18,000 feet the range of most MANPADS the Guardian system shuts down until it is time to land.
So the real question is not whether Guardian is effective, but whether the commercial airline industry can afford to implement the solution. According to a 2005 study conducted by RAND Corporation, it would cost an estimated $11 billion to install anti missile systems on America's 6,800 commercial airliners. Operating the systems after installation would cost up to $2.2 billion annually. Because of these figures and because resources available for Homeland Security are limited, RAND recommended that the United States look to other strategies that might be more cost effective. But some experts weigh the cost of protecting airlines against the cost of a successful attack. For every aircraft downed, there would be $1 billion in direct costs, and Nike Air Max 2016 Mens indirect costs would be much more significant.
All of this is under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security. In January 2007, the department entered the third phase of its three year feasibility study. In this phase, FedEx will fly Nike Air Max 2016 Mens 11 MD 10s with Northrop Grumman's Guardian system for 18 months to test whether the equipment is cost effective and reliable for commercial aircraft operations. A second team is studying another laser based DIRCM system known as Jeteye. Jeteye, developed by BAE Systems, will be mounted on American Airlines' Boeing 767s flown by carrier ABX Air. If one system is found to be more cost effective and reliable, it could win the department's approval. The addition of the Guardian system will not change the way the plan is flown. In fact, the system engages itself upon takeoff. If it is deployed to stop a missile, it will do so on its own; there is no need for the pilots to do anything. Once the plane hits 18,000 feet (out of range of most shoulder fired missiles), the Guardian system will disengage until it is time to land the aircraft.