Anti-missile system in airlines’ sights

A statistic that should concern any frequent flyer is that a million hand-held missile devices are circulating in the world’s arms bazaars, often changing hands for only a few hundred dollars each.

Knock-off Russian missile systems have become almost as prevalent as knock-off AK47s, and each rocket is capable of taking out a passenger jet at altitudes of up to 15,000ft (4,600m).

According to defence sources, there have been 35 incidents of terrorists firing hand-held missiles at commercial aircraft, but nearly all took place in hotspots.

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