A sting operation that foiled a plot to smuggle shoulder-mounted missiles into the United States to shoot down a commercial plane underscores the continuing vulnerability of airlines to attack, analysts said Wednesday. “This thing is one of the great kept secrets that people don’t want to talk about, especially with airlines having the (financial) problems they have,” said aerospace analyst Andrew Brookes at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Once you’re in a sedate climb or descent, you’re into an extremely vulnerable situation,” Brookes said. “Airliners come into Heathrow (airport) on a leisurely, gentle descent … they cannot fly like a fighter jet and escape the lock-on of a missile. Any military man trained in these should have no problem in shooting one down.” A British arms dealers was arrested Tuesday in New Jersey after trying to sell a Russian-made, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile to FBI informants posing as extremists who wanted to shoot down a large commercial airliner, officials said. Full Story
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