12 Man - portable Air Defence Systems ( MANPADS )

Overview Man-portable air defence systems have received increasing political attention in recent years, because of the demonstrable risk that they pose to both military and civilian aircraft. They have been catalogued in some of the most poorly secured national stockpiles. In many more cases, questions remain about their numbers and the security measures in place to protect them from diversion. Because of the threat they pose and the fact that they have become a highly politicized issue, MANPADS have been one of the driving forces behind a number of international initiatives to secure, stabilize, or destroy surplus stocks. Although MANPADS remain a problem in their own right, they have helped focus the lens of international scrutiny on the dangers associated with surpluses of all varieties of conventional munitions.