Does anyone know if the system has JAA or FAA certification? Surely such systems have to be certificated, and if they are not, is it legal to fly into ICAO airports with them installed?
If a plane can be downed by a couple of old O2 generators popping themselves on (ValuJet DC9) and starting a fire, how much more hazardous are real pyrotechnics like the flares in the Flight Guard system?
The anti-missile systems under study in the US and UK for possible installation on airliners are based on infra-red jamming because the flare option has been rejected as hazardous to the aircraft, regardless of whether the flares would pose fire hazards on the ground. Rumour states some airliners have jamming systems based on BAE's ALQ 144 already, e.g. one or two with Qantas, Singapore and Royal Jordanian, probably the fleet aircraft that double as their “air force ones”. A few top CEO business jets have them too.
Some more facts on the legality of the Israeli and all the other anti-missile systems currently in operation would be welcome here.