Why Did FedEx Ask the FAA About Installing Lasers on Airplanes?

U.S. aviation regulators propose special conditions to outfit Airbus A321s with lasers.

Monday, January 17, 2022 at 03:39 PM ET

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FedEx–whose fleet includes Boeing 767s such as this one–doesn’t currently fly A321s, but the FAA says it has asked permission to outfit them with laser-based missile-defense systems. [Courtesy FedEx]

Key Takeaways:

FedEx applied to the FAA in 2019 for approval to install laser-based missile-defense systems on its cargo aircraft, designed to disrupt heat-seeking missiles.
This measure is a response to the ongoing threat posed by man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), which have been responsible for numerous attacks on civilian aircraft globally.
The FAA, lacking existing regulations for such technology, is proposing "special conditions" to ensure the safe installation and operation of these systems, including preventing inadvertent activation and establishing safety protocols.

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Imagine FedEx (NYSE:FDX) cargo aircraft armed with laser missile-defense systems. Unbelievable? FedEx apparently didn’t think so.

In 2019, FedEx applied for an FAA supplemental type certificate to install a “laser-based missile-defense system, which directs infrared laser energy toward heat-seeking missiles,” according to an FAA document released this month. The purpose of such a weapons system, the document says, would be “to interrupt the missile’s tracking of the aircraft’s heat.”