“Anti-missile lasers will be installed on three American Airlines planes that fly from Kennedy Airport to California as part of a $29 million federal program to see whether the devices can protect commercial aircraft from attacks.

The gizmos – which detect heat from a rocket and then fire a jamming beam – will be operational but won’t be tested on regular passenger flights, the airline said. They have already been tested on non-passenger planes. These tests will examine how the system weathers continuous takeoffs and landings.

The Department of Homeland Security is spending $29 million on the program – and Sen. Chuck Schumer said he’s glad the testing is moving along.

‘We have fought for these for a long time to make sure that our planes are safe,’ said Schumer (D-New York). ‘”

Three jets get anti-missile laser