Hot Countermeasures

Although the Homeland Security Department has not yet settled on the type of missile countermeasures it will employ, potential solutions include the Directed InfraRed CounterMeasure, a laser-driven device that jams missile guidance systems, causing missiles to miss their intended targets, as well as small heat-generating decoy flares.

"When people refer to countermeasures, they are often referring to infrared countermeasures, since they are attracted to the most source of heat-the engine," says Matt Schroeder, an arms expert at the Federation of American Scientists, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization in Washington. The countermeasures seek to either jam or blind the guidance system of the missile after it is launched or to create competing sources of infrared that are more intense than the infrared emitted by the engine, he explains.

During Phase 1 of the project, to be completed this summer, the DHS team will evaluate and choose the most appropriate counter-MANPADS technology, says Parney Albright, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for science and technology. An 18-month prototype program will be implemented during Phase 2 of the project.