I always thought if anyone was going to figure out how to foil terrorist attempts of various types, it would be the Israelis. And it looks like I may have been right.


It seems the Israelis have developed one technology to alert authorities of a possible hijacking and another that

Pity the poor terrorist stupid enough to enter Israeli air space.

 diverts airline-destroying missiles. Both technologies - Code Positive and Flight Guard - were, as might be expected, the result of experience.


According to an Associated Press story, as of 2008, all airlines flying into Israel are required to equip their pilots with the system that lets ground controllers know if a plane has been commandeered by terrorists. Code Positive, which Israel will distribute free, consists of a personalized card with which pilots relay a predetermined code upon approaching Tel Aviv.


If hijackers kill or remove the cockpit crew, as was done in the September 11 attacks, their failure to send the code will alert Israel that something's wrong. If a pilot is forced to activate Code Positive, then he or she can enter false data, which will serve as a discreet mayday message.


The system is said to be bluff-proof.


And pity the poor terrorist stupid enough to enter Israeli air space.


The Jewish state improved its aviation counter-measures following a 1973 tragedy in which warplanes shot down a Libyan airliner that strayed into the Israeli-controlled Sinai, suspecting it planned to ram a ground target. Scores of crew and passengers were killed.


Now, Israel relies on advance notice of potential hijackings from its intelligence services and its foreign allies. But should the worst happen, fighter jets can be scrambled within minutes to implement a series of tactical counter-measures.


The strategy is reportedly to divert planes to uninhabited areas by unnerving the hijackers by first buzzing the plane. If that doesn't work, cannons are fired near its cockpit. And as a last resort, there are shoot-down orders.


Now that we've addressed the threat from terrorists inside a plane, let's turn to the protection of planes from attack from outside.


To handle that, Israel developed Flight Guard, also as a result of a frightening incident.


One might recall the 2003 near-miss of a Soviet-era shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missile, fired at an Israeli passenger jet taking off from Kenya. The incident alarmed the international aviation industry; and sent Israeli brains into action.


The result was a device that's fitted to a plane's fuselage. When its sensors detect an incoming missile, Flight

The incident alarmed the international aviation industry; and sent Israeli brains into action.

Guard fires a flare to divert it.


Fabulous. I hope they develop a way to return the missile to sender. Imagine the wild-eyed lunatic's surprise when he sees his murderous missile do a cartoon-like U-turn. I can almost see the frantic running around in circles with the missile in hot pursuit.


The device, which costs about $1 million per unit, is already on several El Al planes.


Evidently, though, some nations object, suggesting the flares pose an unacceptable fire risk. So, as an alternative, a system known as the Multi-Spectral Counter MANPADS System, was approved, which uses non-pyrotechnic lasers to sear the heat-seekers on incoming missiles, throwing them off course.


You can thank Israel later.


Can you imagine what diseases could be cured and what discoveries could be made if Israel didn't have to spend so much of its intellectual and financial capital on defense?