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Package delivery giant FedEx wants to equip some aircraft with military-style missile countermeasures, which could allow it to continue flying over contested areas that might otherwise be closed to air traffic, according to a filing posted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
In a notice of this "special condition" posted Friday, the FAA dryly observed that its design standards for commercial cargo planes "did not envisage that a design feature could project infrared laser energy outside the airplane" and therefore it sought special approval for this "novel design feature." The proposed infrared laser system is intended to fool missiles fired from the ground.
“In recent years, in several incidents abroad, civilian aircraft were fired upon by man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS),” FAA said in its filing. “The 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.”
It’s not uncommon for aircraft flying sensitive routes to have additional defense measures. El Al Israel Airlines, for example, has anti-aircraft missile technology aboard its commercial aircraft. The VC-25 aircraft, commonly known as Air Force One when the president is on board, have both electronic and infrared countermeasures to jam or divert incoming missiles.
The “novel or unusual design feature” can only apply to the A321-200 model, the FAA said, unless the company applies for supplemental certification to upgrade other models. The proposed special condition will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 18, with comments open for 45 days after that.
TL;DR: FedEx invented an anti-missile laser and wants the Feds to make it legal to use