Drones vs. Missiles

The always-excellent Defense Daily has the scoop on a new effort by the Department of Homeland Security to protect commercial airliners from the threat of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) -- shoulder-fired missiles.

Government scientists and military contractors have proposed all kinds of tricks to protect passenger planes from shoulder-fired missiles since 2002, when an Israeli 757 was attacked in Kenya. Laser dazzlers, microwave blasters, even chemical-powered ray guns have all made the list. According to the DD story (sorry folks, subscription only), Homeland Security's plan involves placing a drone is a perpetual orbit over airports. It's part of a broader science and technology effort called "Project Chloe."

Under Chloe, the UAS [unammned aerial system] would loiter for a day at around 65,000 feet above an airport. At that altitude an unmanned aircraft would be above the National Airspace and not conflict with routine aircraft traffic managed by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The system would be equipped with a missile warning system and a DIRCM ["Directional InfraRed Counter-Measures," which use missile-confusing laser beams] to detect and defeat shoulder-fired missile threats, Cohen said. A higher powered laser would likely be needed than what is envisioned for commercial aircraft because of the high altitude, he said. Cohen also suggested that instead of blinding the missile's seeker, a laser could be used to decoy it to a higher altitude where it would eventually run out of fuel.

Of course, the Department has funded a number of other ways to combat MANPADS, but all the options are costly and/or complicated, as the article notes:

DHS already has two Counter-MANPADS efforts ongoing. Under one effort, BAE SYSTEMS and Northrop Grumman are both leading efforts to transition directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) technology each developed for military applications for use on commercial jetliners to defeat heat-seeking missile threats during take-offs and landings.

However, while the technology works, the biggest potential hang-up is cost. It will cost between $1 million and $3 million to put the missile warning and DIRCM systems on each aircraft and on top of that are supply issues and maintenance costs, Cohen said at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association conference. The airlines, some of which are just emerging from bankruptcy, are "not fond of that," he said.

*Moreover, any aircraft equipped with a Counter-MANPADS system that would fly out of the country would require an export license, Kerry Wilson, the program manager for Chloe, told *Defense Daily on Friday.

To keep its options open, the department last fall awarded three more contracts, one to L-3 Communications to investigate advanced infrared decoys aboard commercial aircraft to defeat MANPADS threats, as well as awards to Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to investigate ground-based schemes around airports to protect aircraft.

It's hard to say what will happen with this new approach, but it's clear that Admiral Jay Cohen, who used to run the Office of Naval Research, is a big help for the department. Cohen, now the Department of Homeland Security's technology chief, is well respected, and the Office of Naval Research is one of the better run S&T outfits, so hopefully Cohen can step up the otherwise lackluster technology efforts at the Department of Homeland Security.

-- Sharon Weinberger