The "pods" some of you noticed on the VC-137 and E-3 near the the back of the wings and above the engines are small but very intense lasers that confuse and throw-off the infared guidance of hand-held missiles such as the old SA-7 shoulder fired missles that every former Soviet Union country and by now most terrorist have in their inventory. The difference between the "pointed-ones" on the VC-137 and the "flat" pods on the E-3 is that the aero-dynamic cover is removed on the E-3 who flys outside of U.S. more often and rarely have the covers installed.