US Sen. Chuck Schumer demanded Sunday that the feds re-consider outfitting passenger planes with anti-missile technology to protect Americans from attacks like the one that killed nearly 300 air travelers who were shot down over Eastern Ukraine. 
 
 “The tragedy of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, plus the missiles being fired near Tel Aviv’s airport have now made one thing clear: We cannot let this happen to an American passenger plane,” Schumer said during a news conference at his Manhattan office. 
 
 Schumer called on the DHS, the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct an “inter-agency study to determine the benefits and cost-effectiveness of protecting our commercial jets.” 
 
 The Department of Homeland Security previously rejected mandatory missile counter-measures as too costly after Schumer (D-NY) and US Rep. Steve Israel (D-LI) called for a study in 2004. 
 
 Schumer said anti-missile systems “could cost between $1 million and $2 million per plane. But, when a new jetliner costs between $100 million to $200 million to build, that is not a huge cost.” 
 
 “I believe we would all agree that no matter price, we must do everything we can do protect American flyers,” he added. 
 
 Israel said “the right blend of incentives and other mechanisms” could help “find a sensible solution that will make us safer.” 
 
 None of the government agencies responded immediately to requests for comment. ||||| ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Two U.S. legislators are urging the government to study whether American passenger jets should be equipped with devices protecting them against missiles like the one that brought down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine and projectiles fired near Tel Aviv's airport. 
 
 U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Steve Israel on Sunday asked the Department of Homeland Security, Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration to consider technologies that would shield commercial aircraft. 
 
 A government study should include specific recommendations on the best technology needed to combat both shoulder-fired and surface-to-air missiles, they said. Anti-missile devices include onboard lasers, warning systems, flares and infrared countermeasure systems, costing from $1 to $2 million per plane, Schumer and Israel said. 
 
 The Democratic lawmakers say two major mishaps have raised red flags that require a quick study of defense technologies. 
 
 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down on July 17 by what U.S. officials believe may have been a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired by separatists in Eastern Ukraine. All 298 people aboard died. And last week, the FAA banned American flights to Israel after a rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport. 
 
 "The tragedy of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, plus numerous missiles being fired near the Tel Aviv airport have made one thing clear this week: we cannot let this happen to an American passenger plane," Schumer said. 
 
 As a result, "we are once again reminded that an attack on a civilian aircraft remains a significant threat," Israel said. 
 
 The Government Accountability Office believes there are between 500,000 and 750,000 portable surface-to-air missiles in existence worldwide. The State Department estimates thousands may be in the hands of terrorists. 
 
 Packaged in tubes, portable missiles can be concealed in a car trunk along with a launching mechanism and battery, making them especially dangerous, the lawmakers said. 
 
 Schumer noted that since 1973, at least 30 civilian aircraft have been downed by shoulder fired missiles, killing about 920 people, according to Stratfor, a Global Intelligence firm in Austin, Texas. ||||| Advertisement Advertise here 
 
 Sen. Charles Schumer called on the federal government Sunday to look into the possibility of installing anti-missile technology on commercial aircraft in light of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine. 
 
 Schumer, who was joined at news conference at his midtown office by U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Suffolk), said the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA and the Department of Defense shouldn't hesitate to consider safeguarding planes with devices such as onboard lasers, warning systems, flares and other devices. 
 
 "The recent events are disturbing," Schumer said. "Terrorism is cropping up all over the globe." 
 
 The two pols requested that the agencies conduct a study that would examine the feasibility of putting the technology on the planes and come up with recommendations to safeguard passengers. A similar study was conducted by the FAA and homeland security in 2004 and concluded that such measures were too costly, however Schumer argued not only has the technology gotten cheaper but also terrorists have become more dangerous with new weapons. 
 
 The senator added that there would be other long-term costs if a U.S. plane was destroyed by a missile. 
 
 "The worst thing that could happen to the economy is if one of our airlines, God forbid, gets shot down," he said. 
 
 All of Malaysia Airlines MH17's 298 passengers were killed on July 17 when Russian supported forces in Ukraine allegedly shot it down when it flew over their airspace. The flight recorders were recovered and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been under fire from the international community for his country's escalating conflict with Ukraine.
– A pair of prominent legislators are reviving a decade-old measure that would outfit passenger planes with anti-missile technology, at a cost of up to $2 million per $200 million plane, the New York Post reports. Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Steve Israel want on-board lasers, warning systems, flares, and infrared countermeasure systems on passenger planes to protect them against surface-to-air and shoulder-fired missiles. They’re calling on the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, and the FAA to figure out how, the AP reports. "The tragedy of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, plus numerous missiles being fired near the Tel Aviv airport have made one thing clear this week: we cannot let this happen to an American passenger plane," Schumer says. Homeland Security rejected this plan as too costly when Schumer and Israel brought it up in 2004. But since then, the technology has gotten cheaper and the terrorists more dangerous, Schumer argues with AM New York. The State Department estimates terrorists have thousands of surface-to air missiles worldwide; the weapons are portable and easily concealed, making them especially dangerous. And the lawmakers point out that since 1973, 920 people have been killed in 30 plane crashes caused by these weapons. "I believe we would all agree that no matter price, we must do everything we can do protect American fliers," he says.