Surface to Air Missile Threat

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In November of last year, a missile was fired at a plane full of Israeli tourists taking off from Mombasa, Kenya. It missed. Yesterday, US, British and Russian officials foiled a plot to bring a missile into this country for the purpose of shooting at a commercial jet plane. The scheme was part of a sting operation that never posed any real danger, though it did dramatize what one aerospace expert calls -one of the great kept secrets- of the aviation industry. How easy is it to buy a shoulder-mounted missile? Where do they come from? Are such weapons capable of shooting big jetliners out of the sky? Are there defensive systems that could be installed on planes? We get some answers to these and other disturbing questions from defense, terrorism and security experts. Making News: US Troops Land in Liberia Two hundred American troops have entered Liberia. Another 2300 are stations on three ships waiting offshore. Nicole Itano reports from Monrovia for the Christian Science Monitor. Reporter's Notebook: Bush in California Avoiding the Recall; 135 Candidates Confirmed Yesterday President Bush brushed off California-s recall as the biggest political story in the country. Today, there-s no question that he will be at the heart of the action, because Bush is coming to California. In case Democratic Governor Gray Davis loses his job in the October 7 election, 135 candidates have been confirmed for the replacement ballot. With at least four big-name Republicans, what-s the likely posture for the Republican President as he visits the state today? Carla Marinucci reports for the San Francisco Chronicle.
In November of last year, a missile was fired at a plane full of Israeli tourists taking off from Mombasa, Kenya. It missed. Yesterday, US, British and Russian officials foiled a plot to bring a missile into this country for the purpose of shooting at a commercial jet plane. The scheme was part of a sting operation that never posed any real danger, though it did dramatize what one aerospace expert calls -one of the great kept secrets- of the aviation industry. How easy is it to buy a shoulder-mounted missile? Where do they come from? Are such weapons capable of shooting big jetliners out of the sky? Are there defensive systems that could be installed on planes? We get some answers to these and other disturbing questions from defense, terrorism and security experts.
  • Making News: US Troops Land in Liberia
    Two hundred American troops have entered Liberia. Another 2300 are stations on three ships waiting offshore. Nicole Itano reports from Monrovia for the Christian Science Monitor.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Bush in California Avoiding the Recall; 135 Candidates Confirmed
    Yesterday President Bush brushed off California-s recall as the biggest political story in the country. Today, there-s no question that he will be at the heart of the action, because Bush is coming to California. In case Democratic Governor Gray Davis loses his job in the October 7 election, 135 candidates have been confirmed for the replacement ballot. With at least four big-name Republicans, what-s the likely posture for the Republican President as he visits the state today? Carla Marinucci reports for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney