JFK International Airport is set to become the first in the World with a Laser Missile Defense Protective Shield. The system is known as Skyguard it is manufactured by Northrop Grumman and it offers a never before level of safety to jet aircraft at their most vulnerable time, takeoff and landing. The high tech Tactical High Energy Laser is designed to destroy the most sophisticated threats even those that reach supersonic speed.

Terrorists are a determined breed and they have shown that they will go to any means to strike at America’s most symbolic targets and after this summer’s attempted attack on the JFK Fuel Pipeline was foiled Homeland Security is taking no chances and is preparing the high tech shield for deployment, the final cost of the system including installation is expected to be about $40 million.

Northrop Grumman which developed the Laser has been testing it since the year 2000, it generates a protective shield of about 7 Miles in diameter and is effective against short-range missiles, short and long-range rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles and even cruise missiles. It works by using the reactive gases stored in its fuel tanks which are then directed down a pressurized vacuum tube, the charged atoms are beamed at special resonator mirrors and the laser-beam fires a short burst of intense light at the incoming projectile’s explosive element, destroying it instantly.

In the seven years of development the system has been reduced in size by a factor of 4 to about the size of a bus. It can detect, track and destroy multiple infrared seeking missiles at the same time and send wireless information with a fix on the origin of the incoming weapon back to the tower so authorities can send a rapid response team to the site and neutralize the threat. The Skygaurd Missile defense system is the most effective weapon of its kind in the World and should make for an extremely effective deterrent against even the most highly motivated terrorists.