Man-portable air-defence weapons (MANPAD)

An anti-air missile team consists of a gunner and assistant gunner. Equipped with a man-portable AA missile system such as the Stinger, and an additional missile, the two must be ready to use their launcher to engage and destroy any enemy air threats that might appear over the battlefield, either fixed-wing (jet) or rotary-winged (helo). Their proficiency and situational awareness can be the difference between life and death for a squad or platoon.

Any weapon system who's primary purpose is to be used against aerial vehicles, either rotary or fixed wing.

Prioritize vehicle targets based on the following factors:

• Urgency of the threat: immediate threats should be engaged first, with vehicles posing no threat either engaged last or not engaged at all.
• Success chance: every engagement should have the highest possible likelihood to succeed. In any case, refrain from shooting when:
  • the target is out of range
  • the target is moving too fast
  • the target cannot be effectively damaged
• Future considerations: do not engage vehicles when doing so might have negative effect later. e.g. shooting an AT-4 at a technical, when expecting BMPs.

To increase the chance of hitting an aircraft shoot when:

• The aircraft is in front or rear aspect
• The aircraft is as close to you as possible, this includes vertical distance especially

Side shots are generally not going to hit, unless the target has no countermeasures. Rear shots might also not work if the aircraft is fast enough to run away from the missile.

In general, the missile should fly for as short a time as possible and in a straight line.