Providing Security for Business Jets

(23/06/2008)

The commercial aviation has enjoyed an unprecedented worldwide growth. To meet this need Business Jets that can travel 8,000 miles nonstop have flooded the market. With this proliferation of large private aircraft with little or no oversight control, security risk is at an all time high and rising.

The owner/operators of these private aircraft are monitored by the US government. The operators are known and they must pass the security criteria ensuring that the aircraft is being used for its intended function. Thus the threats emanates from either a physical commandering of the aircraft (hijacking) or the covert use of the aircraft (smuggling) transporting illegal goods or weapons into the USA. The owners and passengers of these planes are conducting their approved useful and productive business oblivious to the hidden dangers aboard their aircraft.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently launched a pilot program for Secure Fixed Base Operators. This voluntary program allows the checking of passenger and crew against official flight manifests for general aviation aircraft inbound to the United States for operators required to transmit manifest information. This program is being conducted to determine if advanced screening of general aviation aircraft inbound to the United States would provide additional security while maintaining operational flexibility.

To meet the emerging security challenge, traditional physical security companies need to look into non-traditional solutions. The physical security market has suffered as the result of video analytics failing to meet past expectations. Most experts in the physical security market believe that practical physical security video detection systems are successful in applications where the environment is controlled, such as the inside of a building.

Efforts to apply classic motion detection and shape recognition analytics have had minimal success in uncontrolled outside environments, a situation typical of airports. The reason for most failures has been high false alarms rates. The developers of physical security system will need to apply advance technologies and work in close cooperation with the major aircraft manufactures to meet their needs. A security system that does not reliably protect the aircraft has no functional value.

A system that sounds an alarm at a high repetitive rate that proves to be false becomes a system that is turned off, not used, or ignored. The high cost of a response to an Aircraft Alarm places a great demand on reliable threat detection with very low false alarms rates.

Today’s private aircraft constitutes an ever present threat to both the occupants and the US civil population far beneath the aircraft. Owner/operators of these aircraft will need to provide their own security. In all likelihood the failure to adequately address the problem will lead to the imposing of security regulations by government authorities.

The TAS pilot program is the first step. It shows that the US government is serious about addressing aviation security in the private sector. Governments tend to have little anticipation but great reaction, often over-reaction.

Corporations that operate these aircraft have unique security needs that mirror their operations. Common threats such as Hijacking, smuggling, and sabotage need to be integrated with unique specific threats. These business jets become a mobile executive office where trade secrets, business strategies, corporate finances are targets of business rivals, insider traders, and cyber-space attacks. Each case needs to be tailored to the requirements of the owners of the aircraft.

For more details, contact HarmAlarm, 15 N. Lonspur Drive, Penthouse, The Woodlands, Texas, 77380, USA

Related topics:  Detection systems   Intrusion detection   Monitoring systems   Security guarding   Sensors and detectors   Surveillance   Wireless surveillance 

Print version | Email to a friend | Related articles

Data breaches: Trends, costs and best practices gives you all the latest information on securing personal and corporate data, key recommendations for immediate action to improve data security, and how to respond to data breaches.

Other Security news and resources