Should the government look at less expensive solutions, i.e., expendables?
Burns: Yes. Laser-based countermeasures systems are expensive to acquire, placing financial limits on deployment rates, and are even more expensive to operate. There are doubts about the large-scale availability of laser systems in the event of urgent need. The practicality of laser systems on narrowbody or smaller commercial aircraft is dubious. There are other solutions that definitely deserve more attention than they are currently getting. Avionics: Should there be more emphasis on ground-based systems? Burns: Ground-based MANPADS countermeasures offer both advantages and disadvantages to commercial carriers, depending partly on the threat scenario involved, and should be evaluated further. However, there are significant technical issues to be addressed, as well as operational questions about how these systems would interoperate with a crowded terminal airspace environment, guaranteeing effective nullification of threats without impairing other aircraft or operations. For near-term
