FedEx seeks US FAA approval to install anti-missile technology on cargo flights: Report

FedEx Corporation which is a transport and logistic company, has asked the US's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for authorization to install an anti-missile technology on cargo flights to defend them against heat-seeking missiles. According to a filing on Friday, FAA stated that FedEx had requested permission to add the missile-defense system. The agency indicated, "FedEx missile-defense system directs infrared laser energy toward an incoming missile, in an effort to interrupt the missile's tracking of the aircraft's heat," CNN reported.  

The decision was made in response to a threat regarding the surveillance of the aircraft's heat. A surface-to-air missile crashed through the left wing of a DHL Airbus A330 shortly after takeoff from Baghdad in 2003. However, the team arrived at the airport safely.  

Further, the FAA document also revealed that during recent years, civilian aircraft have been fired on by the man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) in many events abroad. Thus, due to this, many companies have designed and adapted mechanisms for installation on civilian aircraft, such as a laser-based missile-defense system, to safeguard the planes against heat-seeking missiles, CNN reported. In addition to this, before authorising a technology that "emits infrared laser energy outside the aircraft as a countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles" on the Airbus A321-200 planes, aviation regulators will consider public comments for 45 days. 

FedEx started the authorisation process for altering A321-200s in 2019

FedEx began the government certification procedure for altering A321-200s in 2019, according to the FAA document, despite the fact that the firm does not yet own such planes. CNN has reached out to FedEx for comment, but they have yet to answer. As laser accidents can lead to eye and skin damage, the FAA clarified that any authorisation would include "means that prevent the inadvertent activation of the system on the ground, including during aeroplane maintenance and ground handling," CNN reported. 

Apart from the 2003 event, a missile strike on a Malaysia Airlines aircraft over Ukraine in 2014 killed nearly 298 people. The technology which will be installed aboard the Airbus Model A321-200, is basically a twin-engine commercial aircraft with seating for 220 people, according to the filing. FedEx has the world's largest cargo aircraft carrier, with over 650 planes in total.  

Moreover, according to Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at Aerospace consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, FedEx might be considering this as a one-off experiment, buying an A321 and testing the technology to determine whether it wants to expand it to the rest of the company's fleet, Insider reported.  He also speculated that the corporation may be considering acquiring several A321 aircraft as part of a civil backup aircraft fleet that the military might use in the hazardous territory. 

Image: AP