WASHINGTON (AP) – After a monthlong study, the government has decided to ask two companies to try to build devices that will protect commercial planes from shoulder-fired missiles, lawmakers said Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security also will ask other high-tech firms for proposals on the best way to protect aircraft from the threat, which has concerned U.S. officials since an unsuccessful attack on an Israeli passenger jet in Africa last fall.

“This is a real breakthrough,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who is co-sponsoring a bill to equip 6,800 U.S. airliners with anti-missile devices at a cost of $10 billion.

The study was ordered in April as part of the spending plan for the war in Iraq, and the Department of Homeland Security is expected to release details on it as soon as Friday.

Schumer, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., have been briefed on the study and held a news conference to discuss the findings.

Brian Roehrkasse, Homeland Security spokesman, confirmed two companies will be asked to build prototypes. He did not identify them.

Last November, terrorists fired two SA-7 missiles that just missed an Israeli civilian aircraft after it took off from Mombasa, Kenya. Officials believe al-Qaida launched the attack, which coincided with a bomb blast at a nearby hotel.

Hundreds and perhaps thousands of Soviet-style SA-7s – heat-seeking rockets that can hit low-flying aircraft within 3 miles – are said to be available on the worldwide arms market for as little as several thousand dollars. New models could pose a greater threat because they are more accurate.

Though no specific threats involving the portable missiles have been identified, U.S. intelligence officials said terrorists had smuggled anti-aircraft missiles into the United States, Schumer said.

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On the Net:

Transportation Security Administration: http://www.tsa.gov

Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov

AP-ES-05-15-03 1247EDT

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