Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

An FAA notice of proposed special conditions scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on January 18&nbsp;outlines a proposal by FedEx to install a laser-based anti-missile system on Airbus A321s. The design feature centers on a system that emits infrared laser energy outside the aircraft as a countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles. The express delivery carrier, which does not currently operate A321s, applied for a supplemental type certificate to install the system back in October 2019.

 


Several cases of civilian aircraft fired upon by man-portable air defense systems (manpads) have occurred in recent years, prompting some companies to design systems that direct infrared laser energy toward an incoming missile to interrupt its tracking of the aircraft's heat. High-profile incidents include the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 in 2014 by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Most recently, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukraine International Airlines 737-800 shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 occupants.

 


The concept of equipping anti-missile systems on commercial airplanes isn’t new. El Al began fitting a system developed by Israeli aerospace supplier Elta called Flight Guard, two years after an attempt in September 2002 to shoot down an Arkia Israel Airlines over Mombasa, Kenya. Since then, Arkia and Israir have installed the systems on their airplanes as well.

 


The installations did not come without controversy, however. Flight Guard fires flares as decoys against incoming missiles, raising fire hazard concerns among some civil aviation authorities. Meanwhile, the infrared laser energy can pose safety hazards on the aircraft, on the ground, and on other aircraft, according to the FAA. Invisible to the human eye, infrared light can result in eye and skin damage, and affect a flight crew's ability to control the aircraft. It also can affect other aircraft, whether airborne or on the ground, the FAA notice emphasizes. Because FAA design standards for transport category airplanes did not envision that a design feature could project infrared laser energy outside the airplane, the agency developed special conditions to allow for its certification.

 


Special conditions, in this case, include a requirement for the design to prevent inadvertent activation on the ground or in the air and mandates related language in-flight manuals and instructions for maintenance.

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

FedEx Proposed Anti-Missile Systems for A321s

The FAA issues a notice of proposed special conditions to allow FedEx to install anti-missile systems on Airbus A321s.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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