After a series of incidents in which militants targeted an Israeli passenger jet after takeoff using shoulder-fired missiles outside Mombasa, Kenya. The rockets missed, but spurred Israel to find a way to protect its airliners with a defense similar to that already used by its air force. The officials said the system fires flares that distract an incoming missile's heat-seeking mechanism. It will be installed first on planes flying to destinations considered dangerous, especially in Africa and parts of Asia.
Other nations, including the United States and Singapore, have said they also were working on similar anti-missile defenses for jetliners. Some systems use flares to deflect missiles and others use lasers to jam a missile's heat-seeking guidance equipment.
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