<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  UPDATE: CNN originally reported that shoulder-mounted SA-24s have gone missing in Libya. But arms control experts now tell PM that there&amp;#039;s no evidence of gripstocks for the missiles in Libya. That means that any SA-24s looted from Gaddafi&amp;#039;s stockpiles could be vehicle-fired, but not shoulder-fired. This makes them less of a terrorist threat. That said, the proliferation of these missiles on the black market is still a large concern, especially in other parts of the world where gripstocks might be available that would allow the weapons to be used as Man Portable Air Defense (MANPAD) missiles. Even in Libya, sources tell PM, there is evidence of shoulder-firing capability for the less-sophisticated SA-7s. News from reporters and Human Rights Watch personnel in Libya say that Russian surface-to-air missiles have been looted from a Libyan warehouse. The SA-24 missiles, made in Russia, can shoot down an aircraft flying at 11,000 feet. SA-7 missiles, like the one seen here, have been reported missing, too. Popular Mechanics has been tracking this threat since the outset of the conflict in Libya\u2014and before. Here&amp;#039;s the need-to-know summary on antiaircraft missiles, including some things you probably didn&amp;#039;t know. 1. The Libyans Have Plenty in Their Arsenal When the Libyan war broke out this spring, PM worried about this very scenario: Muammar Gaddafi&amp;#039;s stash of Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, including SA-7s and the more sophisticated SA-24s, disappearing from his armories. (Though, as we reported in April, Russia shipped the SA-24s to Libya without gripstocks, meaning the missiles couldn&amp;#039;t be should-mounted, but also meaning that Russia didn&amp;#039;t have to report how many missiles it shipped.) There may have been as many as 20,000 such missiles in Libya before the war began, U.S. military leaders have told Congress, and Human Rights Watch told CNN that surface-to-air missiles are the first thing it has seen go missing from Gaddafi weapon stockpiles. 2. There Is an Active Black Market Even before the Libyan War, there was intensive buying and selling of Man Portable Air Defense (MANPAD) missiles on the worldwide black market. Russia and the United States both sold these missiles actively back in the 1980s, but now both countries are trying\u2014perhaps in vain\u2014to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.  3. There Is an Industry Dedicated to Jamming These Sophisticated Antiaircraft Missiles Tucked away in a small New Hampshire town is defense contractor BAE Systems&amp;#039; Jam Lab, a research hub dedicated to creating aircraft defenses against missiles like those that have disappeared from Libya. PM got to pay a visit. 4. But the Military&amp;#039;s Helicopters Could Be Vulnerable to Even Cruder Threats As we were reminded last month by the shooting down of a Chinook helicopter carrying Navy SEALs, many military helos are now equipped with defenses to throw infrared-guided missiles off the trail by firing chaff and flares. Yet they remain unguarded against less sophisticated weapons like a rocket-propelled grenade. 5. Domestic Airliners Have No Defenses With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 nearly upon us, it&amp;#039;s worth remembering that after the attack, Congress was ready to build greater defenses into commercial airliners, including jamming equipment to confuse missiles like Gaddafi&amp;#039;s missing MANPADs. But after eight years of funding an no results, the White House quietly ended the program last year. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a7071/5-things-to-know-about-libyas-missing-antiaircraft-missiles-6394788/>