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Homeland Security: Protecting Airliners From

Homeland Security: Protecting Airliners from
Terrorist Missiles
Introduction
Shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), also known as MANPADS
(man-portable air defense systems), developed in the late 1950s to provide military
ground forces protection from enemy aircraft, are receiving a great deal of attention
as potential terrorist weapons. These missiles, affordable and widely available
through a variety of sources, have been used successfully over the past three decades
both in military conflicts1 as well as by terrorist organizations. The missiles are
about 5 to 6 feet in length, weigh about 35 to 40 pounds, and, depending on the
model, can be purchased on the black market anywhere from a few hundred dollars
for older models to upwards of almost a quarter million dollars for newer, more
capable models. Seventeen countries, including the United States, produce manportable
air defense systems.2 Shoulder-fired SAMs generally have a target detection
range of about 6 miles and an engagement range of about 4 miles so aircraft flying
at 20,000 feet (3.8 miles) or higher are relatively safe.3 Most experts consider aircraft
departures and landings as the times when it is most vulnerable to shoulder-fired
SAM engagement. There are a number of different types of shoulder-fired SAMs,
primarily classified by their seekers.4
Types of Shoulder-Fired SAMs
Infrared (IR)
Infrared shoulder-fired missiles are designed to home in on a heat source on an
aircraft, typically the engine exhaust plume, and detonate a warhead in or near the
CRS-2
5 Schaffer, Op Cit. p. 2.
6 Ibid., p. 3.
7 "Raytheon Electronic Systems FIM-92 Stinger Low-Altitude Surface-to-Air Missile
System Family," Jane's Defence, October 13, 2000, p. 3.
heat source to disable the aircraft. These missiles use passive guidance, meaning that
they do not emit signals to detect a heat source, which makes them difficult to detect
by targeted aircraft employing countermeasure systems. The...