Recent world events have identified needs for a commercial aircraft defense system against Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), such as SA-7 and Stinger shoulder launched surface-to-air missiles. Technical challenges include target detection, identification and countermeasures. Political and societal challenges include cost, time to deployment, ground and air safety, and reliability. These challenges, as well as many others, have been met and overcome with the development of Thor Systems' Commercial-Aircraft Protection System (C-APS). C-APS makes use of commercial technology such as radar and infrared sensors with a laser-based countermeasure. Unlike adapted military systems, C-APS detects the threat long before the military versions by employing a 360 degree hemispherical scan, identifying the threat with an infrared sensor and employing a directed laser to not only deflect the target but to permanently disable its seeker. Enhanced capabilities include multiple threat elimination and closed-loop technology for kill verification. All of this is accomplished with development costs less than half that required to convert military technology, manufacturing costs significantly less than competitive products, and a maintenance cycle coincident with standard FAA requirements, which are significantly longer than current systems.
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