Shoulder-fired missile , shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile , among other variants, are common slang terms to describe high-caliber shoulder-mounted weapons systems ; that is, weapons firing large, heavy projectiles ("missiles"), typically using the backblast principle , which are small enough to be carried by a single person and fired while held on one's shoulder . The word " missile " in this context is used in its original broad sense of a heavy projectile, and encompasses all shells and rockets , guided or unguided (compare with guided missile ). A more formal variant is simply shoulder-fired weapons system and the like.
41-486: Man-portable air-defense systems ( MANPADS or MPADS ) are portable shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles . They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft , especially helicopters and also used against low-flying cruise missiles . These short-range missiles can also be fired from vehicles, tripods, weapon platforms, and warships. MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ground forces with protection from jet aircraft. They have received
82-450: A favored anti-technical weapon. They permit otherwise lightly or poorly armed troops (e.g. militias ) to destroy modern sophisticated equipment such as close air-support aircraft, helicopters, and lightly armored vehicles. Attacks come from ambush for the element of surprise and attempt to immobilize a convoy of vehicles, then destroy its defenders, then destroy its contents, then escape before air or artillery support can arrive. Normally,
123-417: A fixed container on singe-use systems, it is generally called a man-portable or shoulder-launched/fired recoilless rifle or recoilless gun , depending on if it uses a rifled or smoothbore barrel, essentially open- breech cannons . Smoothbore systems generally fire fin-stabilised munitions. If the weapon fires rocket-propelled or rocket-assisted projectiles (booster launched), it is generally called
164-454: A great deal of attention, partly because armed terrorist groups have used them against commercial airliners. These missiles, affordable and widely available through a variety of sources, have been used successfully over the past three decades, both in military conflicts, by militant groups, and by terrorist organizations. Twenty-five countries, including the China, Iran, Poland, Russia, Sweden,
205-405: A launch tube. In order to prevent the user from being burned by the exhaust, the rocket (or at least its first stage) must burn out before it leaves the tube, and if present the second stage must fire once the rocket is well clear of the launcher. Even if the operator is safe, there is a sizeable blast effect to the rear. Also, the rocket must have a reliable ignition system. In modern systems, this
246-567: A long history, from the black powder fire arrows used by the ancient Chinese to the Congreve rocket referenced in " The Star-Spangled Banner ," the national anthem of the United States . They have always been prized for the portability of their launch systems. The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China launched fire arrows with launchers constructed of wood, basketry, and bamboo tubes. The rocket launchers divided
287-406: A man-portable or shoulder-launched/fired rocket launcher or missile-system, depending on, depending on whether the ammunition is unguided or guided. Such systems typically use a small recoilless charge (a so-called booster charge) or compressed gas system to get the projectile out of the barrel and to a distance where the operator will not be hurt by the rocket's backblast; when the rocket ignites at
328-621: A number of different countermeasure systems have been developed specifically to protect aircraft against the missiles. Although most MANPADS are owned and accounted for by governments, political upheavals and corruption have allowed thousands of them to enter the black market. In the years 1998–2018, at least 72 non-state groups have fielded MANPADS. Civilians in the United States cannot legally own MANPADS. Portions of this article were taken from Homeland Security: Protecting Airliners from Terrorist Missiles Archived 5 June 2008 at
369-1044: A safe distance, it further accelerates the projectile or at least keeps it from decelerating in its trajectory. Shoulder-launched weapons typically fire at one of two main target types—ground targets or air targets. Weapons for use against ground targets come in a wide variety of types and sizes, with smaller, unguided weapons generally used for close range combat and larger, guided systems for longer ranges. Most of these weapons are designed mainly for anti-tank warfare , as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and carry one or two (a tandem-charge ) high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge warheads. However, they are also effective against structures, and many such weapons have been designed specifically for such targets. Anti-aircraft weapons, known as man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), are small surface-to-air missiles . They usually have infrared homing and are used against helicopters , unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other low-flying fixed-wing aircraft . Rocket-based weapons have
410-627: 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) or higher are relatively safe. Infrared homing 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 heat source to disable the aircraft or to simply burst it into flames. These missiles use passive guidance , meaning that they do not emit heat signatures , making them difficult to detect by aircraft employing countermeasure systems. The first missiles deployed in
451-451: A weapon effective against armored vehicles and fortified structures. The power of the shaped charge meant that the effectiveness of the weapon was not limited by a gun barrel bore nor size of weapon as for example a conventional armor-piercing shell from an artillery piece. As such these man-portable weapons could be used to equip infantry units with their own anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. Shoulder-launched rockets or recoilless guns are
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#1732773045372492-559: Is almost always a percussion cap . This system was not fully developed until the German Panzerfaust of World War II , an early one-shot design that also was the first practical recoilless antitank gun and thus used no rocket. The bazooka was an early rocket-propelled development which could be reloaded. From their first conception during the First World War, many portable missiles have been used to give infantry
533-400: Is more economical than area-denial. Protecting as little as 20% of the convoys rapidly depletes an area of active insurgents. Weapons below are listed in alphabetical order: Type 91 surface-to-air missile The Type 91 surface-to-air missile ( 91式携帯地対空誘導弾 , 91-shiki Keitai Chitaikū Yūdōdan ) is a Japanese man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS). Its appearance is similar to
574-705: Is regularly used as an informal name for man-portable unguided rocket-launcher systems, a backronym from the Russian acronym РПГ (Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot ), meaning "handheld anti-tank grenade launcher", the Russian term for infantry-carried anti-tank weapons, not only encompassing rocket-systems (see the RPG-2 for example). There are many types of shoulder-launched missile-weapons. Some systems are reloadable or semi-reusable, while others are single-use disposable systems, much in
615-512: Is sometimes mistaken as a Japanese-made version of the Stinger. The Type 91 is currently exclusively used by the JSDF and has not been exported overseas to date due to previous interpretations of post-war constitutional restrictions and the laws arising from them. The Type 91 is officially treated as a 4th-generation MANPAD system. Development work on an advanced infra-red seeker began in 1979 at
656-758: The FIM-43 Redeye are regarded as straddling the first and second generations as they are gas-cooled but still use a spin-scan seeker. Third generation infrared MANPADS, such as the French Mistral , the Soviet 9K38 Igla , and the US Stinger B , use rosette scanning detectors to produce a quasi-image of the target. Their seeker compares input from multiple detections bands, either two widely separated IR bands or IR and UV , giving them much greater ability to discern and reject countermeasures deployed by
697-790: The G8 Action Plan of 2 June 2003, the October 2003 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Bangkok Declaration on Partnership for the Future and in July 2003 the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Forum for Security Co-operation, Decision No. 7/03: Man-portable Air Defense Systems . Understanding the problem in 2003, Colin Powell remarked that there
738-555: The Panzerfaust 2 , Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle , RPG-7 , etc. Some systems are classified as semi-disposable, such as the Panzerfaust 3 . In many instances, the name bazooka is regularly used as an informal name for shoulder mounted "tube-like" launchers, stemming from the actual historical shoulder-fired missile-systems named such, the famous M1 Bazooka and M20 Super Bazooka man-portable rocket launchers of World War II . The name rocket-propelled grenade ( RPG )
779-649: The Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s cite Afghan mujahedin as being disappointed with the British-supplied Blowpipe CLOS missile because it was too difficult to learn to use and highly inaccurate, particularly when employed against fast-moving jet aircraft. Given these considerations, many experts believe that CLOS missiles are not as ideally suited for untrained personnel use as IR missiles, which sometimes are referred to as "fire and forget" missiles. Later versions of CLOS missiles, such as
820-658: The Stanford Web Archive , CRS Report for Congress RL31741, February 16, 2006 by the Congressional Research Service, division of The Library of Congress which as a work of the Federal Government exists in the public domain. Shoulder-fired missile Shoulder-launched weapons may be guided or unguided , and the systems can either be disposable, such as the Panzerfaust 1 , M72 LAW , AT4 , etc., or reusable, such as
861-546: The US-made FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missile. It was created in order to replace its stock of American-made Stinger MANPADS, since the Type 91 has a better guidance system, which consist of both visible light and infrared system options. The Stinger, on the other hand, uses a passive infrared homing guidance system. In the ranks of the JSDF, the Type 91 is colloquially known as Hand Arrow . The Type 91
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#1732773045372902-593: The 1960s were infrared missiles. First generation MANPADS, such as the US Redeye , early versions of the Soviet 9K32 Strela-2 , and the Chinese HN-5 (A copy of the Soviet Strela-2), are considered "tail-chase weapons" as their uncooled spin-scan seekers can only discern the superheated interior of the target's jet engine from background noise. This means they are only capable of accurately tracking
943-468: The British Javelin , use a solid-state television camera in lieu of the optical tracker to make the gunner's task easier. The Javelin's manufacturer, Thales Air Defence , claims that their missile is virtually impervious to countermeasures. Laser guided MANPADS use beam-riding guidance where a sensor in the missile's tail detects the emissions from a laser on the launcher and attempts to steer
984-463: The Stinger as anti-aircraft missiles. In 2007, the Type 91 Kai was delivered by Toshiba after being produced to replace the original Type 91 with several improvements including its motor and capability to be fired in the dark. The missile is similar to the Stinger missile it replaced with two solid rocket motors, an initial booster motor and a sustainer. The imaging seeker uses 3rd generation-made infrared and ultraviolet guidance systems. On launch,
1025-627: The Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) after Toshiba and Kawasaki Heavy Industries submitted their projects with the former being selected. In 1982, the Japan Self-Defense Forces began looking for a replacement for the FIM-92 Stinger which was then in service via Foreign Military Sales . Development of the missile was then known as Keiko or SAM-X was deferred until 1987. Toshiba took over
1066-456: The Type 91 Kai included missile with image-infra-red seeker, smokeless motor and the capability to have faster shooting and target acquisition and was also improved for the ability to be used at night. An improved version of the Type 91, called the Type 91 Kai, was delivered to replace the original. A vehicle based variant, the Type 93 Surface-to-air missile launcher, has also been developed. This
1107-495: The United Kingdom and the United States produce man-portable air defense systems. Possession, export, and trafficking of such weapons is tightly controlled, due to the threat they pose to civil aviation , although such efforts have not always been successful. 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. MANPADS generally have
1148-525: The aircraft from the rear when the engines are fully exposed to the missile's seeker and provide a sufficient thermal signature for engagement. First generation IR missiles are also highly susceptible to interfering thermal signatures from background sources, including the sun, which many experts feel makes them somewhat unreliable, and they are prone to erratic behaviour in the terminal phase of engagement. While less effective than more modern weapons, they remain common in irregular forces as they are not limited by
1189-408: The fire arrows with frames meant to keep the arrows separated, and were capable of firing multiple arrow rockets at once. Textual evidence and illustrations of various early rocket launchers are found in the 11th-century Southern Song dynasty text Wujing Zongyao . The Wujing Zongyao describes a portable rocket arrow carrier consisting of a sling and a bamboo tube. Shoulder-launched rockets have
1230-583: The launcher itself, with the user only having to make coarse aim corrections. Because there are no radio data links from the ground to the missile, the missile cannot be effectively jammed after it is launched. Even though beam-riding missiles require relatively extensive training and skill to operate, many experts consider these missiles particularly menacing due to the missiles' resistance to most conventional countermeasures in use today. Over fifty MANPADS attacks on civilian aircraft are on record to 2007. Thirty-three aircraft were shot down killing over 800 people in
1271-582: The military arsenals of the former dictator Saddam Hussein , and in Afghanistan as well. In August 2010, a report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) confirmed that "only a handful" of illicit MANPADS were recovered from national resistance caches in Iraq in 2009, according to media reports and interviews with military sources. With the growing number of MANPADS attacks on civilian airliners,
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1312-792: The militia will plan to have two to four shooters per attacked vehicle. Reliable attack ranges are 50 to 100 m, although attacks can succeed out to 300 m. Self-destruct ranges of common rocket weapons such as RPG-7s are about 900 m. The usual response to such attacks is to suppress the shooters, with saturation anti-personnel fire, artillery or aerial barrages in area-denial attacks. Submunition and thermobaric weapons are often used to clear landing zones (LZ) for helicopters. In modern counter-insurgency operations in misty, dusty or night-time situations, advanced optics such as infrared telescopes permit helicopter gunships to observe convoys from beyond human-visible range and still attack insurgents with inexpensive anti-personnel fire. This approach
1353-422: The missile records the target's image profile and is able to ignore defensive countermeasures such as flares. The Type 91's missile travels at a Mach speed of 1.9. The Type 91 comes with the rocket launcher, an external battery pack, IFF system, missiles and other training equipment. The Type 91 weights at 11.5 kilograms, which is lighter than the Stinger as it has a weight of 15.2 kilograms. Improvements of
1394-422: The missile to fly at the exact middle of the beam, or between two beams. Missiles such as Sweden's RBS-70 and Britain's Starstreak can engage aircraft from all angles and only require the operator to continuously track the target using a joystick to keep the laser aim point on the target: the latest version of RBS 70 features a tracking engagement mode where fine aim adjustments of the laser emitter are handled by
1435-547: The process. On 10 October 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Ukrainian forces were recorded allegedly shooting down a Russian cruise missile using MANPADS. Since then, other instances have been videoed and shared on social media platforms. Man-portable air defense systems are a popular black market item for insurgent forces. Their proliferation became the subject of the Wassenaar Arrangement 's (WA)22 Elements for Export Controls of MANPADS ,
1476-541: The project in 1988 and began engineering development. The development was completed in 1990, and low rate production was started in 1991. The missile was initially designated the Type 91 Kin-SAM and as the SAM-2. It was first deployed in 1994. The adoption of the Type 91 allowed the JSDF to gradually retire the Stingers, with the last stocks officially removed from active JGSDF service in 2009. JGSDF Apaches still retain
1517-400: The same manner as a hand grenade . Ammunition traditionally use the backblast principle for propulsion, meaning that when fired, the propellant gases are expelled out of the back of the weapon to alleviate the reactional force exerted from the projectile moving forward. If the weapon fires ammunition using fixed propellant charges, such as through cartridge cases on reloadable systems or
1558-545: The short shelf-life of gas coolant cartridges used by later systems. Second generation infrared missiles, such as early versions of the U.S. Stinger , the Soviet Strela-3 , and the Chinese FN-6 , use gas-cooled seeker heads and a conical scanning technique, which enables the seeker to filter out most interfering background IR sources as well as permitting head-on and side engagement profiles. Later versions of
1599-462: The target aircraft. Fourth generation missiles, such as the canceled American FIM-92 Stinger Block 2 , Russian Verba , Chinese QW-4 , Indian VSHORAD and Japanese Type 91 surface-to-air missile use imaging infrared focal plane array guidance systems and other advanced sensor systems, which permit engagement at greater ranges. Command guidance (CLOS) missiles do not home in on a particular aspect (heat source or radio or radar transmissions) of
1640-478: The targeted aircraft. Instead, the missile operator or gunner visually acquires the target using a magnified optical sight and then uses radio controls to "fly" the missile into the aircraft. One of the benefits of such a missile is that it is virtually immune to flares and other basic countermeasure systems that are designed primarily to defeat IR missiles. The major drawback of CLOS missiles is that they require highly trained and skilled operators. Numerous reports from
1681-465: Was "no threat more serious to aviation" than the missiles, which can be used to shoot down helicopters and commercial airliners, and are sold illegally for as little as a few hundred dollars. The U.S. has led a global effort to dismantle these weapons, with over 30,000 voluntarily destroyed since 2003, but probably thousands are still in the hands of insurgents, especially in Iraq , where they were looted from