MIDDLE EAST:ISRAEL IS to begin fitting some of its passenger aircraft with flares to counter potential missile attacks, according to defence officials.
The missile protection system was first proposed in 2002, but was delayed by disagreements over funding between government ministries, reports said.
Within weeks a system of flares will be installed on some aircraft, particularly those flying to countries regarded as more dangerous, including in Africa and Asia. The system is similar to one installed on military aircraft. For protection against heat-seeking missiles, flares can be dropped to draw off the weapon.
The proposal emerged after two missiles were aimed at an Israeli passenger aircraft just after take- off in Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002. The rockets narrowly missed the Boeing 757 jet but the attack seemed linked to a suicide bombing soon afterwards at a Mombasa hotel where Israeli tourists were staying - 13 Kenyans and Israelis were killed.
The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv said yesterday that the project had been finalised now because of fears that the assassination of Hizbullah militant Imad Mughniyah in Damascus last month might encourage revenge attacks against Israeli targets. A high state of security alert has been declared in Israel this weekend, which marks 40 days since the killing of Mughniyah.
Ma'ariv said the flare system would be used for about two years and then replaced by an "optical" system, which was more advanced and based on a focused beam of light. However, the paper also said that some countries, including the US, were not expected to allow aircraft equipped with flares to land.
Last year it was reported in Israel that a new anti-hijacking identification system would be installed at Israeli airports to alert authorities more rapidly to any incoming hijacked aircraft. The security code system would use a credit card-sized keypad and other devices through which pilots could authenticate their identity.