Meet the Missile That Started the MANPADS Craze

By ADAM RAWNSLEY

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America’s FIM-43 Redeye provoked the Soviets

Whether in the hands of terrorists in Iraq, or in a display case at a ritzy international air show, man-portable air defense systems — or MANPADS — have become a common sight throughout the world.

They’re the product of decades of innovation, and an ever-lasting cat-and-mouse game between intelligent guidance systems and the aircraft countermeasures that try to confuse them.

But all of these missiles owe their existence to the first generation of MANPADS … and the missile that started it all, the U.S. Army’s FIM-43 Redeye.