Cover: Concerns about terrorists with PGMs

Concerns about terrorists with PGMs

by Marvin Schaffer

Purchase Print Copy

 FormatList Price Price
Add to Cart Paperback811 pages $135.00 $108.00 20% Web Discount

This paper considers the likelihood that precision-guided munitions (PGMs) in the hands of terrorists will be used against civilian aircraft, both fixed and rotary winged, with attendant casualties. The author concludes that the most likely threat is the shoulder-fired surface-to-air-missile (SAM). Historically, such munitions have been used routinely on a world-wide basis at the rate of several per year for the last 15 years with considerable success. Countermeasures against what is currently in the field and available to terrorists are inadequate. In addition, SAM of more advanced design are being developed and will likely be available on the open market. Current countermeasure approaches, already insufficient, will be completely outclassed by advanced SAM designs.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation Paper series. The paper was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.