Surface-to-Air missiles are lightweight, guided missiles designed to shoot down aircraft from a stationery position on the ground or from the deck of a warship. They are called "guided" missiles because they always contain a system—such as laser or radar beams—for "guiding" missiles toward their target following launch.
The military calls Surface-to-Air missiles, or SAMs, that can be launched by one person MANPADS, an acronym for Man-Portable Air Defense Systems. Their small size and easy transport makes them ideal elements of a guerrilla or terrorist arsenal. They are meanto to be fired by two people, but in fact can be fired by one launcher.
American SAMs are manufactured under the name Stinger, and were put into service in 1981. The launcher and missile together are five feet long, weigh 35 pounds. Their maximum range is five miles in distance, and 2.2 miles in altitude. and maximum speed is 1,650 miles per hour.
Between 500 and 1500 Stingers were supplied to the mujahideen in the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s. It is commonly believed that Osama Bin Laden has purchased some US made Stingers. In August 2006, the militant Sri Lankan group, the Tamil Tigers, were alleged to have tried to buy surface to air missiles from FBI agents posing as arms dealers.