Airlines hold off on anti-missile systems

His face hidden beneath a black mask, a man emerges near an airport runway and tosses a long metal tube over his shoulder to fire a missile at an airborne American Airlines 767.

A pod on the aircraft's belly quickly fires a series of lasers to misdirect the weapon and avert the attack. A child on board is shown smiling, safe and secure.

The scene from a promotional video by BAE Systems PLC, a major defense contractor, was designed to demonstrate a simple response to a well-known terrorist threat against commercial airlines around the world.

Yet after more than five years of debate, the technology to defend airliners from shoulder-fired missiles is a long way from being deployed commercially.

Read more