MSNBC reports that there is In September, NBC News first reported on a fierce debate within the Pentagon over 'Trophy', an Israeli-made system that shoots rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) out of the sky. The Army seems intent on killing the system, but officials in the Office of the Secretary of Defense believe it can save American lives.

Northrop Grumman has developed a laser-based system to shield airports and other installations from rockets, ballistic missiles and other threats.

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed spending up to $1 million per passenger plane to install a missile defense systems, but many believe cost of the program does not match the threat.

The U.S. government will begin testing anti-missile equipment on three airliners next month, a first step toward what could be the most expensive security upgrade ever ordered for the nation's aviation system.

Thousands of shoulder-fired weapons are unaccounted for, intensifying a search for ways to reduce terror threat to jets.

Shoulder-fired missiles are a threat to civilian jetliners, but putting antimissile defenses on planes is far too expensive to be practical now, according to a study by RAND, the private U.S. research organization.

Several thousand shoulder-fired missiles -- the kind that could be used to shoot down aircraft -- are missing in Iraq, and their disappearance has prompted U.S. military and intelligence analysts to increase sharply their estimate of the number of such weapons that may be at large.

The authors argue for further research and development into directed energy weapons as a way to counter the threat from MANPADs and cruise missiles.

The huge numbers of small arms, including anti-aircraft MANPADs, left behind by Iraq's armed forces after the fall of Saddam Hussein could cause instability in the Middle East for years to come, according to a new study.

Airlines could face growing danger from attackers armed with new shoulder-launched missiles unless states make a major effort to control their spread.

[ Link to Full Study ]