A RISK FOR US – AT 9:34 A.M. ET:  This deals with the Mideast, but the risk for us may be just as great.  From TIME: 

The downing of an Egyptian military helicopter in the Sinai region of the country by Islamist militants apparently using, for the first time, a surface-to-air missile, represents a significant intensification of the violence there — and has implications beyond the troubled Sinai.

If the militants have more surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) they could endanger commercial airliners landing and taking off many times a day at Eilat, the Israeli resort city that sits on the tiny sliver of the Red Sea coast inside Israel. The flight approach to the Eilat airport comes uncomfortably close to Sinai foothills on the Egyptian side of the border. Ground-to-ground missiles are sometimes fired from the Sinai toward Eilat, including a couple of Grad rockets seven days ago.

COMMENT:  This is not a local issue.  It's a worldwide problem.  We know that a number of shoulder-launched SAMs went missing during the Libyan revolution.  They are available as international contraband, and have shown up repeatedly in Africa.  They could easily be manufactured in a rogue state and given to terror groups. 

A successful attack on an airliner taking off from or landing at a major airport would have a catastrophic effect on aviation.  Remember that we closed down our airline system for several days after 9-11. 

The SAM problem is remarkably hard to solve.  These weapons can be broken down into small packages, and they are easy to use.  They can be sent across borders in parts.  There are anti-missile systems that can be installed on airliners, but they are hugely expensive, and I don't think many (if any) aircraft have them now.

This is a problem that will be announced with a headline.

January 27, 2014