Missile-protected El Al plane

Israel is fitting El Al's aircraft with a pioneering anti-missile system amid growing airline fears of global terrorism, the Transport Ministry said yesterday. El Al's first missile-protected plane should take off in June, but industry analysts said...

Israel is fitting El Al's aircraft with a pioneering anti-missile system amid growing airline fears of global terrorism, the Transport Ministry said yesterday.

El Al's first missile-protected plane should take off in June, but industry analysts said other companies were still likely to find the cost of such measures prohibitive.

Israel stepped up efforts to adapt military anti-missile systems for its civilian aircraft after an Israeli charter jet came under attack from shoulder-held missiles in Kenya in 2002.

The missiles, fired by al Qaeda-linked attackers, missed. The ministry said an El Al passenger jet was being fitted with the Israeli-made "Flight Guard" system, which automatically releases diversionary flares if a heat-seeking missile is detected by an on-board sensor.

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