ABSTRACT

There is a general consensus among aviation security experts that civil aircraft, and commercial airliners in particular, face a persistent threat from terrorist attacks using shoulder-fi red missiles or other standoff weapons. The threat of aircraft shootings from standoff weapons is complex and has been a signifi cant focus of policy discussions because no single solution to mitigating the threat has been identifi ed. Policies and strategies for combatting the threat posed by these weapons have centered on a multilayered approach involving

Weapons nonproliferation initiatives• Efforts to reduce existing weapons stockpiles• Counterterrorism initiatives to disrupt transfers of these weapons to terrorist groups• Programs to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities around airports• Technology development programs to adapt aircraft-based and ground-based missile • coun termeasures to protect aircraft, airport terminal areas, and approach and departure corridors

While policy discussions regarding the threat of aircraft shootings have focused almost exclusively on possible terrorist attacks using shoulder-fi red missiles, some in the aviation industry have raised concerns that attacks using less sophisticated standoff weapons, such as unguided rocketpropelled grenades (RPGs) and large-caliber munitions, are also a considerable threat to civil airliners. Nonetheless, shoulder-fi red missiles are widely regarded as the most capable weapons in terrorist hands for downing a commercial airliner and thus remain at the center of policy discussions regarding the threat of aircraft shootings.