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MANPADS

Introduction

Interdicting MANPADS is similar to interdicting any other small, easily concealed, and easily smuggled commodity. These shoulder-launched missiles have been used in many conflicts against both military and civilian targets.

Military aircraft have a host of countermeasures available to them, and pilots are trained in evasive maneuvers. Unfortunately, these tactics do not translate very well to civilian aircraft. Most civilian aircraft have no protection, and their pilots are not trained in evasive maneuvers. It is worthwhile to note that no passenger plane has ever been downed by a shoulder-fired missile outside a combat zone. However, terrorists are believed to have fired two SA-7 missiles that narrowly missed an Israeli passenger jet after it took off from Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002.
In the hands of trained terrorists, MANPADS are formidable threats to unprotected aircraft; therefore, civilian aircraft are likely to be vulnerable to MANPADS attacks in the foreseeable future.

MANPADS Characteristics

MANPADS are an attractive weapon for terrorists for a variety of reasons:

Available: Estimates of MANPADS in the world today range from 500,000 to 700,000. Thousands are believed to be available on the illegal arms market. Following the collapse of the USSR, the proliferation of Soviet Strela (SA)-series MANPADS has increased, and the diffusion of these weapons now exceeds that of U.S.-made Stinger missiles from Afghanistan during the 1990s. In November 2002, Russian experts said that “tens of thousands” of its shoulder-launched missiles may have been stolen from its arsenal during the 1990s. Today, MANPADS of various types are in the hands of as many as 27 guerrilla and terrorist groups around the world. Furthermore, MANPADS remain a popular commodity on the global black arms market.

Cheap: Early model MANPADS can be acquired on...