The U.S.-made Stinger anti-aircraft missile system, one of the best known man-portable air defense systems. Photo U.S. Army

MANPADS proliferating?

The Australian military fears that a number of rocket launchers may have been sold to criminals or terrorists by some of its own members. The nine anti-tank weapon systems could be intended for use within Australia, according to antiterrorism police in New South Wales. One of the systems was recovered after police negotiated its return through one of the country’s top criminals, now in jail for murder.

The story broke as the Wassenaar Group, which controls international arms exports, warned that thousands of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) systems could be proliferating around the world outside the scope of government control. Some estimates put the number of systems circulating beyond official control as high as 50,000.

On the 10th anniversary of the Wassenaar arrangement on arms export controls, to which 40 countries are signatory, a spokesperson for the group said that terrorist groups were known to be seeking such weapons to use in attacks on civil aviation. Besides terrorists, MANPADS and other missile systems could also fall into the hands of criminal groups such as the Mafia, or be used in attacks on other forms of transportation, such as maritime traffic.