WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) -- A New Zealand handyman with a passion for jet engines says he is building a cruise missile in his backyard using parts and technology freely available over the Internet.

Bruce Simpson, a 49-year-old Internet site developer, has a site entitled "A DIY Cruise Missile" on which he says he was prompted to build the missile because so many people had told him it could not easily be done.

"I decided to put my money where my mouth is and build a cruise missile in my garage, on a budget of just $5,000," he said on his Web site www.interestingprojects.com.

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"I like to think of this project as a military version of 'Junkyard Wars'," he says referring to a television programme about teams building big machines from scrapyard materials.

He said he would publish step-by-step instructions on his Web site about how to make the jet-powered missile, which would be able to fly 100 km (60 miles) from his home, north of the main city of Auckland, in less than 15 minutes.

Went through customs? The missile could carry a small warhead weighing 10 kg (22 pounds), would be hard to detect on radar, and would be impossible for the New Zealand Air Force to stop, Simpson said.

"Obviously the goal is not to provide terrorists or other nefarious types with plans for a working cruise missile but to prove the point that nations need to be prepared for this type of sophisticated attack from within their own borders."

The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported Simpson had imported a radio control transmitter, global positioning equipment, and a flight control system, among other things, without encountering problems from New Zealand customs.

"We are aware of the initiative," a Defence Force spokesman said, but declined any further comment.