Pilot ID program to thwart terrorism
Posted: Friday, January 26, 2007 3:28 PM
Filed Under:
Tel Aviv, Israel
By Chaim Dekel, NBC News Cameraman
Aircraft: Tel Aviv ID, this is EL AL 316 shalom (hello)
Control: This is Tel Aviv ID, go ahead
Aircraft: This is EL AL 316 departure Rome, Destination Tel Aviv, 180 miles from coast. Line transponder 7205.
Control: This is Tel Aviv ID thank you, clear to Destination.
On frequency 118.80, this is a daily conversation between a captain and the Israeli controller that confirms an aircraft is recognized and clear to approach Israeli’s legal waters.
But since the attacks of 9/11, Israel’s Ministry of Transport has been developing a new security system that they hope will transform civil aviation dramatically and prevent potential terrorists from flying into Israeli air space to commit a "mega-terror" attack on an Israeli target.
The new security system, dubbed "Code Positive" is essentially a pilot identification device.
The system, developed by the Israeli company Elbit Systems, includes a credit card size device that will be personally assigned to individual pilots using a combination of smart card and bio-metric characteristics.
"Using this card, it will be possible to verify that the person flying the aircraft is indeed the person qualified to fly it," explained Danny Shenar, head of security at the Israeli Transportation Ministry.
The specific technology behind the device was not divulged for security reasons, but it is expected to be in use as soon as May of this year.
Commercial airlines and pilots who fly into Israeli territory will be given the cards free of charge. A deadline will be set for when all planes must comply with the new system. After that, aircraft that don’t use the system will be declared "suspected enemy aircraft" and will be treated accordingly.
Israeli officials hope that other countries, including the United States, will adapt the system and create a better aviation security system around the world.
