WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The US government is expected to test missile defense aboard airlines soon, as technicians are preparing to mount a fire-hydrant-shaped device onto the belly of an American Airlines Boeing 767 in an airplane hangar north of Fort Worth, Texas, The New York Times reported Sunday.

    The paper said the effort could soon turn into a more-than-10 billion-US dollar project to install a high-tech missile defense system on the nation's commercial planes.

    The Boeing 767 is one of three planes that, by the end of this year, will be used to test the infrared laser-based systems designed to find and disable shoulder-fired missiles.

    The devices rely on plane-mounted sensors that detect heat-seeking missiles and then automatically fire infrared lasers to jam or confuse the missiles' guidance systems. The defense would be used for about a 50-mile (80 km) area around airports, while planes land or take off.

    The tests are being financed by the Department of Homeland Security, which has been directed by the Congress to move rapidly to take technology designed for military aircraft and adapt it so it can protect the nation's 6,800 commercial jets.

    The American Airlines Boeing 767 and two jets owned by Northwest Airlines and FedEx will be tested to determine whether they remain as airworthy with the new technology aboard and to figure out if, in simulated attacks, the defense system is reliable.

    A recent Congressional study found that more than 350,000 shoulder-fired missiles existed in government arsenals worldwide. Also a favorite of rebel groups and terrorists, these missiles areeasy to transport and older models can cost only a few hundred dollars. Enditem