[QUOTE=the heavy heavy]:O



when i had them strapped to my first jet we treated them with the upmost respect. they were made safe with pins, like gear pins, that were removed by the groundcrew in a designated arming area. and i seem to remember that we didn't arm them electrically till we were airborne (was 8 years ago so i may be confused). I think the issue is not having defensive aids but how they are armed and safed.

Quite right, and it's the same nowadays, flares are not the kind of things you want pointing at your own aircraft / refuellers / caterers / baggage handlers / little pink body on external check. No matter how many safety checks you have, it still only takes one wiggly amp to put a salvo across the apron, not too bad when you are remotely parked, not so good if surrounded by aircraft!
If you are going to put flares on an aircraft, you've got to adhere to some fairly stringent safety checks.

well its a start, but has anyone thought of the following scenario?

anti missile equipped plane is HIJACKED and now the USAF has trouble shooting it down?

lucky we have radar guided missiles too , right?!http://www.pprune.org/forums/images/smilies/yeees.gif

Modern airborne launched IR missiles (eg: AIM-9X and ASRAAM) look at flares and laugh. These modern missile seekers no londer look for a point heat source like an engine which can be imitated with a flare, but they use an infra-red like TV picture.....VERY difficult to decoy unless you have the sun behind you ;)

A flare is called an IRCM (infra-red counter measure). Smart missiles have built in IRCCM (counter-counter measures). Flares would work great against old generation shoulder launched mx's around the airport.

So, modern fighters won't have issues doing their job. As mentioned, there's radar missiles too, but hey, don't forget the good old gun!! Nothing can decoy that sucker other than thick steel!!!

Let's hope their eyes pop open before that nightmare begins.:ouch:

Then again........I loathe a conspiracy theorist , I do, but this may have
already happened on TWA 800.

CTR fuel tank explosion my :mad:

Then there's the unidentified missile/rocket as seen off the coast of SoCal by an AA pilot back in November.

Weren't the El-Al guys the first (non 3rd-world civilian) to carry weapons to the office?
Pre-Sept 11. We would do well to pay attention to our Israeli friends on this one.

really then who ?

A notable point from the Flight Guard link posted above.

HH -- I owe you a beer if the first inadvertent flare deployment from this new kit has the kind of results as would the flares from your first jet.

Note the size of the bet -- I prefer not to lose big;)

U.S. commercial airline pilots during WW II, which was before there was a nation of Israel or its flag carrier.

Never knew about that - now I have something interesting to ask my uncle about (retired TWA pilot) Thanks

Ah well then - I didn't say it but really was thinking peacetime operations.

Would think it to be wired to a weight-on-wheels switch or similar....
So loaded chaff/flares would be more dangerous then armed guards?
Rubbish...