MAN-PORTABLE AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS
(MANPADS)

INFORMATION KIT

Information about this publication can be provided by contacting: 

Director 
National Security Section 
International Security Division 
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
RG Casey Building 
John McEwen Crescent 
Barton ACT 0221 AUSTRALIA 

Revised July 2008
CONTENTS

A Guide to MANPADS			4
Typical MANPADS Composition			5

United National General Assembly Resolutions			9
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 59/90.  Prevention of the illicit transfer			9
and unauthorized access to and use of man-portable air defence systems

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 62/40.  Prevention of the illicit transfer and 	11
unauthorized access to and use of man-portable air defence systems			

Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) Declarations on MANPADS (2003-2005)			13
2003 - Bangkok Leaders' Declaration			13
2004 - Santiago Leaders' Declaration			13
2005 - Busan Leaders' Declaration			14

Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) 			15
Elements for Effective Legislation on Arms Brokering, 2003			15
Elements for Export Controls on MANPADS, 2003 (amended 2007)			17
Best Practices for Effective Enforcement, 2000			20

G8 Action Plan - Evian Summit 2003			22

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 			25
Best Practice Guide on National Procedures for Stockpile Management and Security (MANPADS) 	25
Annex C, 2006			

Bibliography			30

A GUIDE TO MANPADS
Man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), commonly described as shoulder-ﬁred anti-aircraft missiles, are short range surface-to-air missiles that can be carried and ﬁred by a single individual or carried by several individuals and ﬁred by more than one person acting as a crew.  MANPADS ﬁred by an individual can be easily carried in, for example, a golf or ski bag, as they are generally less than 2 metres in length and weigh around 20kg. Most MANPADS consist of: 
1) A missile packaged in a tube; 
2) a launching mechanism (commonly known as a “gripstock”); and 
3) a battery. 
There are three main types of MANPADS classiﬁed primarily by their guidance systems or “seekers”:
1) 	Infrared (IR) that hone in on an aircraft’s heat source, usually the engine’s exhaust plume; 
2) 	Command Line-of-Sight (CLOS) whereby the MANPADS operator visually acquires the target aircraft using a magniﬁed optical sight and then uses radio controls to guide the missile into the aircraft; and 
3) 	Laser Beam Riders in which the missile ﬂies along the laser beam and strikes the aircraft where the operator has aimed the laser. 
MANPADS are intended to be used by legitimate national military forces to protect their troops and facilities. Typically, they are deployed by troops defending themselves or an installation from aerial attack. With their relatively short range, MANPADS are generally the last missile-based air defense and are often deployed in tandem with gun-type systems that seek to defeat attacking aircraft by destroying them with a barrage of projectiles. MANPADS can strike aircraft ﬂying at altitudes up to approximately 15,000 feet (4572 meters) at a range of up to 3 miles (4.82 kilometers). 
MANPADS should not be confused with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). RPGs are also portable and shoulder-ﬁred.  However, RPGs are designed primarily to be used against ground targets and are usually ineffective against aircraft that are in ﬂight.  Some RPG attacks on low-ﬂying aircraft have been mistaken for MANPADS attacks. 

Typical MANPADS Composition

SA-24