TERRORISTS can soon forget about hijacking airliners to mount a 9/11-style attack, thanks to a hijack-proof piloting system that is being developed.

The automated system, which is being developed by aircraft giant Boeing, will make it impossible for pilots to crash the aircraft into air or land targets by overriding the plane's controls.

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Scientists at aircraft giant Boeing are testing the tamper-proof autopilot system, which uses state-of-the-art computer and satellite technology, reported the Sunday Mail newspaper in England.

The system - which was patented secretly by Boeing in the US last week - is designed to kick in when the pilot flicks a switch, or when pressure sensors built into the cockpit door senses that someone is trying to break into the flight deck.

NO 'OFF' SWITCH

Unlike current autopilot systems that can be manually switched on and off by pilots, the new system can't be deactivated by anyone on board once it is triggered.

'Once this system is initiated, no one on board is capable of controlling the flight, making it useless for anyone to threaten violence in order to gain control,' said a Boeing spokesman.

Dubbed the 'uninterruptible autopilot system', it will allow ground staff and security forces to control the plane using radio waves and global satellite positioning systems.

The plane can then be guided to a secure military base or a commercial airport, where it would touch down using existing landing aids known as 'autoland function'.

After it had landed, the aircraft's built-in autobrake would bring the plane safely to a halt on the runway.

Boeing insiders say this new anti-hijack system could be fitted to airliners all over the world within the next three years.

e plane can then flown by remote control from the ground in the event of an emergency.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,124274,00.html