By Kyle Peterson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Systems to protect commercial planes from shoulder-fired missiles are almost ready but airlines and the U.S. government may not start using them unless the public perceives an imminent threat, leading executives at two defense manufacturers said on Monday.
Airlines must have the technology to respond to missile threats -- even if they seem unlikely today -- said Walt Havenstein, who takes over as chief of BAE Systems Plc BA.L in the United States on January 1.
"If somebody shoots a missile at one of our airplanes coming in off the Chesapeake Bay, and someone says 'Oh, that's what it was,' then life changes," Havenstein said at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington.
Jim Pitts, president of the electronic systems unit at U.S. No. 3 defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), echoed the notion that implementation would be far more likely if the traveling public actually feared missile attacks on planes.
"Unfortunately I think a lot of it might be driven by an event," Pitts said.
Both companies are working with the U.S. Homeland Security Department on laser-based systems to protect planes from infrared guided-missile threats.
BAE's device, known as JETEYE, is being flight-tested on a Boeing 767 owned by AMR Corp.'s (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) American Airlines. Northrop's Guardian has been tested on both Boeing 747 and MD-11 aircraft.
BAE, Europe's largest defense company, and the U.S. government have spent less than $100 million on the project so far, but that amount could climb to around $150 million by the end of the current phase of testing, Havenstein said. Continued...
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