Shoulder-Fired Infra-Red Guided Missiles

Proven to be highly effective in the hands of Muhajadeen Guerrillas, during their insurgency against the Soviets in Afghanistan, the Stinger is a man-portable infra-red guided shoulder-launched Surface-To-Air missile (SAM). Its maximum effective range is approximately 5,500 meters. Its maximum effective altitude is approx.15,750 ft. It can be
used to target high-speed jets or helicopters.

Sold by the thousands after the fall of the former Soviet Union, the SA-7 "Grail" uses an optical sight and tracking device with Infra-Red seeking mechanism to strike flying targets with great force. Its maximum effective range is approx. 6,125 meters and maximum effective altitude is approximately 12,900 ft. It is known to be in the stockpiles of terrorist and guerrilla groups.

Nature of the Threat; ERRI Warnings

Counter-terrorist analyst and operatives have long feared that military man-portable SAMs could be used to target civilian airliners. Concerns have previously been raised about the availability of these weapons on the black market and in covert weapons circles. Literally thousands of them may be available for purchase in the Mid-East, Western Asia, and Eastern Europe. Some are surplus from Afghanistan and others may be from the disbanded/surplus military stock of parts of the former USSR.

The Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) has previously reported (1992) that it could be relatively easy for a single terrorist or small group of dedicated terrorists to drive to a secluded area near an airport and effectively "shoot-down" an aircraft as it took-off and started to climb out of restricted airspace. Near several domestic airports in the United States, there are numerous geographical positions that could place a terrorist within the effective range of a Stinger or Grail surface-to-air missile.

(c) Emergency Response & Research Institute, 1996, All Rights Reserved.
6348 N. Milwaukee Ave., #312, Chicago, IL 60646
(312) 631-3774 - Voice/Voice Mail
(312) 631-4703 - Fax
(312) 631-3467 - Modem/Emergency BBS On-Line Services-28,800bps
enn@emergency.com - E-Mail
http://www.emergency.com - Website

Return to the Police Operations Page