Israel installs anti-missile defense systems on passenger planes

Israel has reportedly started installing anti-missile defense systems with laser-firing capabilities on its passenger planes in order to defend its commercial flight sector from militants carting shoulder-fired missiles.

The Elbit System's C-Music, also known as Sky Shield, is installed on the underside of passenger planes and uses thermal cameras that can detect incoming missiles and can be used on military jets and helicopters as well.

According to the Washington Times, once the missile gets too close to the plane, the defense shield fires off a laser that sends the missile off trajectory, and it then explodes far away from the plane.

Israel's defence ministry said that the experiments, carried out in southern Israel, were some of the most complex and sophisticated ever carried out in Israel, adding that it combined advanced detection and disruption technologies, and met the strongest requirements of commercial flight.