| #1 This needs to be tempered with a bit of caution. This particular article creates the impression there aren't any major obstacles in the way of developing, implementing, outfitting, and installing these systems aboard commercial airlines. I read the entire thing, plus a couple of other articles that TechCentralStation linked to but the NYT didn't. There are problems, the most difficult to overcome being the degree of maintenance required. Military systems require about 60 hours of maintenance per 100 hours of flying time per aircraft. Military aircraft fly far fewer hours than civilian aircraft. Civilian aircraft are also forced to fly in more restricted environments than military aircraft, especially in some third-world countries, where they'd be more susceptible to attack anyway. While the military/civilian defense contract industry could probably supply the equipment, there's no guarantee the airline industry could employ it properly to ensure airline safety, nor is there a guarantee they'd be able to maintain it to full capacity and still meet flight requirements. Take the headline with a very large grain of salt, and a bit of skepticism. |