FedEx asked the FAA if it could put anti-missile lasers on cargo jets. The FAA request is going to be published on the public register.
Because cargo jet engines are less maneuverable than a fighter jet, heat-seeking missiles are hard to shake off. The anti-missile lasers disrupt the missile's ability to track a heat signature by shining a laser directly at it.
Supply chain issues have caused food and product shortages since the COVID-19 pandemic began. A major agricultural services provider was attacked last year. FedEx's application makes sense with the cyberpunk challenges in mind.
In the last few years, civilian aircraft have been fired upon by man-portable air defense systems.
And Beyond.
The US has deployed armed merchant vessels before. Merchant Marine civilian sailors crewed armed cargo ships that kept Allied forces fed and supplied during WWII. FedEx might not be shipping war supplies abroad, but it is possible to protect what we have at home.
CBS reported in 2008 that the lasers were eye-safe when FedEx first tested them. The current application includes new features, reporting and important safety information for airline crew. It makes us wonder if all passenger planes should have this tech, since the lasers shouldn't pose a problem to civilians on the ground.
It seems like a no-brainer, considering that the Russian government is accused of shooting down the plane that crashed in Ukraine. A safety measure that could protect passengers in the event of an attack that doesn't harm civilians on the ground or use as an offensive weapon seems like the kind of precaution every airline passenger deserves.
The jetliners are powered by renewable fuel.
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