MANPADS Components

No, it's not what you think.

MANPADS is the US Government's acronym for "Man-Portable Air Defense System". A more civilian-friendly term would be shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. It's the type of missile terrorists are most likely to use to bring down US aircraft including passenger aircraft.

Unfortunately, few public safety officers are trained to recognize MANPADS components. With its publication entitled MANPADS Components, the Defense Intelligence Agency's Missile and Space Intelligence Center has provided photos of these components. MANPADS are illegal for civilians to posses in the US without a federal license, and there are no current federal licensees.

MANPADS and components can be booby-trapped. Public safety officers, including Redstone-trained civilian bomb technicians, who encounter assembled MANPADS or components should not touch them. They should secure the area and then contact the nearest US military explosive ordnance disposal detachment for further instructions.