Commercial aircraft vulnerability to terrorism

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the leading federal agency responsible for the safety and security of civil aviation. Recent acts of terrorism against the aviation community have demonstrated an increasing level of sophistication in the design and deployment of explosive devices. Hijacking, once the dominate threat to aviation, has been replaced by the threat of sabotage for political purposes. Since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the FAA has initiated an accelerated research program to determine the minimum size explosive charge that would destroy a commercial aircraft and to address the feasibility of increasing aircraft tolerance to such charge sizes. This program, the Aircraft Hardening Program, is supported with government and industry expertise in the areas of explosive effects, aircraft vulnerability, and aircraft design.