Downed Russian Plane Over Sinai

Chandler Olah

American Foreign Policy

Muck

4 November 2015

Downed Russian Plane

Search teams scoured a six-mile radius in the Egyptian desert on Monday morning examining wreckage of a Russian Metrojet plane crash which apparently broke apart in midair over Sinai killing all 224 people aboard. After examining evidence and pictures of the wreckage, aviation experts point towards a midair breakup due to the lack of distress call and the radius of plane debris scattered amongst the desert. Although most experts agree on a midair disintegration of the plane, there is disagreement on whether the plane broke apart due to mechanical/structural failure, an explosion or other factor(s) caused the plane to crash. Apparently, the same plane was seriously damaged when the tail hit the runway during a routine landing in Cairo in 2001. Experts say the distance of the tail fin from the rest of the plane suggesting a clean break from the rear pressure bulkhead. NBC News air crash expert Greg Feith stated that those investigating should not rule out an explosion as the main cause plane’s disintegration. Paul Rogers, a global security consultant and professor at the University of Bradford in England, reiterated the possibility of a bomb being on board the aircraft as a blowback result of the Russia’s intervention in Syria. Isis has also claimed responsibility for the bringing down of the plane and have “sent a message to Putin” for his actions in Syria. Whether Isis used a bomb on board the plane or some type of missile is unknown.

Incidents involving planes, whether it be that they go missing, the attacks on the World Trade Center, or other terrorist threats, are not new occurrences. With this in mind, and with all the incidents that occur every year, the question remains: What can be done to prevent further incidents and exploitations of the airlines?

In order to prevent future incidents like this from occurring, there are several things that can be done. According to NBC News, tail strikes occur “about ten times a year” and resulting damage could lead to a structural problem. By increasing regulations on plane repairs that are done to commercial airlines, the possibility of instances where a plane breaks apart due to a structural problem decreases. This would allow planes to be used longer if repairs are carried out properly. In regards to the possibility that the Metrojet plane may have been brought down by a type of explosion, National Geographic wrote an article about technological advances that could prevent future 9/11 attacks from occurring and one of these advances supports software that analyzes facial expressions for signs of lying. This could prevent any unwarranted substances from entering the airplanes, especially if intended for malicious use. Missile disrupters on commercial airlines would also be extremely beneficial especially because commercial airlines have nothing to due with any type of war activity. Terrorists on the outskirts of airports shooting airliners with shoulder-fired missiles, or MANPADs have become a problem in recent attacks and missile disrupters might be the airline’s best bet. Anti-MANPAD technology such as devices that use infrared radiation to disrupt the missiles' guidance systems is already available, however, the cost, about a million U.S. dollars per plane, plus another hundred thousand dollars each year for maintenance, is deterring the government and airline industry from deploying the tech.