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Commercial Jets Will Soon Be Firing Lasers

posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday March 05 2014, @11:00AM   
from the throw-me-a-bone-here dept.

AnonTechie writes:

First Stop: Skyshield ... Next Stop: Skynet"

From an article in Wired:

Israel is finally ready to combat shoulder-launched missiles and they're going to do it with lasers. Israel's Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that SkyShield, developed by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems, had successfully completed testing and is certified for commercial use to combat the threat of man-portable surface-to-air missile systems (MANPADS) by combining advanced laser detection and disruption technologies.

• Not a threatNot a threat (Score: 1, Interesting) by VLM on Wednesday March 05 2014, @12:20PM

  by VLM (445) on Wednesday March 05 2014, @12:20PM (#11285)

  "combat the threat of man-portable surface-to-air missile systems (MANPADS)"

  This is security theater. We've had those actively deployed since I was a little kid and by and large they're no threat to civilians. For terror purposes, conventional rifles are so much cheaper and more effective that its a joke.

  For (admittedly fairly pitiful) tactical air defense of a very small area by an understaffed unit with excellent logistical support from an old fashioned mid level bombing attack they work pretty well. This doesn't necessarily prevent the defenders destruction, its an economic countermeasure where you're not dropping cheap slicks visually if they can shoot missiles back, so you've just increased costs for the attacker by about two orders of magnitude because now they need to use a way more expensive stand off munition. So if you want to waste that wedding party, its going to cost $$$$$$ not $$$$. That is the purpose of deploying MANPADS, at least outside hollywood. Also it makes it more expensive to secure an airport by making it more expensive to secure a larger area of ground.

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• Re:Not a threatRe:Not a threat (Score: 2, Insightful) by Yog-Yogguth on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:36PM

  by Yog-Yogguth (1862) on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:36PM (#11389) Journal

  Your comment didn't make sense until I thought that you misunderstood: the lasers are on planes protecting against MANPADS/Stinger type weapons [wikipedia.org].

  Like against what the US trained the box-monkeys to do in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation. Remember that? All the Hind's going down?

  But then I realized that couldn't be the case and you simply don't make any sense at all :|

  Why the fuck are you +5?

  So the planes now defend themselves by confusing/jamming the sensors on the missiles launched and targeted against flying planes, usually during take-off and landing when even the most inbred box-fetishist can point in roughly the right direction even without US training. In particular for civilian passenger planes operating out of civilian airports during "peace" when there is no air defense as such.

  Because this has already happened a few times: El Al has had at least two rockets fired after their planes as far as I can remember (and I haven't paid much attention to the issue for a few years). I notice TFA mentions one of them.

  BTW good luck bringing down a passenger jet in spectacularly ball of flames sufficiently gruesome enough to inadvertently blaspheme your pretend peaceful "god" with your bolt action hunting rifle --unless you have Hichok45 levels of skill of course :D

  --
  Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))

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  • Re:Not a threatRe:Not a threat (Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday March 05 2014, @07:47PM

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday March 05 2014, @07:47PM (#11483) Journal

    According to this: [state.gov]

    "More than 40 civilian aircraft have been hit by MANPADS missiles since the 1970s."
     
    So it's not entirely uncommon. Whether the risk analysis works out it its favor I can't say. But, acting like it's not a credible threat is also wrong.

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    • Re:Not a threat(Score: 0) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday March 06 2014, @02:57AM

      by Yog-Yogguth (1862) on Thursday March 06 2014, @02:57AM (#11687) Journal

      Wow that was a much larger number than I was aware of. I obviously can't mod you up but thank you!

      I completely agree it's a rather limited and fairly unusual danger. However I would not be surprised if it might explain what some "kids with beards" are playing when aiming green lasers at aircraft (and occasionally other targets).

      --
      Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))

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