Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). They are typically guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft.
According to the *media report published on Sunday, ISIS terrorist in Northern Iraq have modern portable air defense systems or MANPADS.
This is based on information from the German intelligence service report.
The German intelligence agency said “that the Islamic State(IS, formerly ISIS) militants located in northern Iraq have obtained air-defense systems from the captured military arsenal of the Syrian Army”, according to the report.
The IS militants have obtained the 1970s models as well as modern man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). These light-weight surface-to-air missile systems can be fired from the shoulder and operated by one person.
“Unlike other air defense weapons, MANPADS are easy to use, barely-trained militiamen can fire the weapon accurately,” the report said, adding that the weapons are especially dangerous for landing or taking off aircrafts.
German authorities refuse to confirm or deny the report.
Article: http://www.bild.de/…/isis-kann-passagier-jets-abschiessen-3…
Note: Several airlines, including Austrian Airlines and Qatar Airways, still fly in the airspace over northern Iraq in control of ISIS militants. Neither airline would comment on this report.
Note: Man-portable air defense systems are a popular black market item for insurgent forces (source: http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/manpads).
Twenty-five countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden and Russia produce man-portable air defense systems.Possession, export, and trafficking in such weapons is officially tightly controlled, due to the threat they pose to civil aviation, although such efforts have not always been successful.
Source: http://fas.org/asmp/campaigns/MANPADS/MANPADS.html
The missiles are about 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 ft) in length and weigh about 17 to 18 kg (37 to 40 lb), depending on the model. Shoulder-fired SAMs generally have a target detection range of about 10 km (6 mi) and an engagement range of about 6 km (4 mi), so aircraft flying at 6,100 metres (20,000 ft) (3.8 miles) or higher are relatively safe.
They represent a real and ongoing threat to the region and the world.