SURVIAC Bulletin: The Joint Aircraft Survivability to MANPADS Joint Feasibility Study, Volume 27 Issue 1 - 2001

摘要

It is nearly impossible these days to open a newspaper and not read something about missiles. Whether debating a national missile defense system in the US or describing Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) in Northern Iraq, missiles are making the news. Although the larger systems generally get top billing, reports on the smallest member of the guided missile family, the infrared (IR)-homing manportable air defense system (MANPADS), are appearing with increasing frequency. Across the globe, MANPADS activities in Chechnya, Albania, Sudan, Angola, Colombia, and numerous other regions are becoming publicly broadcast events. Weighing in at just about forty pounds, IR MANPADS can pack a hefty punch: Since their 1972 combat debut in Southeast Asia, a significant number of aircraft losses have been attributed to these diminutive weapons. Small, inexpensive, easy to use, and increasingly available for sale, MANPADS have become the weapon of choice for not only legitimate militaries, but for paramilitary and terrorist organizations as well. And thanks to a continuous stream of new buyers and new sellers, this thirty-year old threat will continue to pervade US military operations in the near-term and for years to come.