Bill targets giant Airbus plane for missile defense

Bill targets giant Airbus plane for missile defense    Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., proposed Wednesday that the U.S. government require the new super-jumbo A-380 jetliner being built by European consortium Airbus to include onboard antimissile systems as a condition for operating in the United States. The equipment would be required within two years of being certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
   The Department of Homeland Security has spent $161 million researching ways to convert missile defense systems used on military aircraft to protect commercial aircraft from being shot down by terrorists.
   The legislation (H.R. 2905) is likely to be viewed by the European Union, which is locked in a dispute with the United States over ending subsidies to Airbus, as an attempt to protect U.S. manufacturer Boeing.
   “When you launch a new aircraft that can carry the population of a small village it must require — at a minimum — a missile defense system as standard operating equipment,” Mica said in a statement. The A-380 can carry 550 to 800 passengers depending on its configuration.
   Congress has not mandated the use of such counter-measures on other commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 747, which can carry more than 400 persons. Mica said missile defense systems should be phased in, starting with the largest aircraft.