Washington Beacon:
New images released by the Islamic State reveal that the terrorist group is in possession of surface-to-air missiles capable of shooting down helicopters and civilian aircraft.
Military experts at Jane’s Defence identified the weapons as Chinese-made FN-6 Man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADs, which can reach up to 12,500 feet vertically.
Although the range of the FN-6 puts most military and commercial aircraft out of reach, they are capable of shooting down any aircraft during takeoff and landing, posing a significant threat to flights in and out of Baghdad airport.
More troubling, however, is the fact that terrorists are now sharing information on “the best way to shoot down an Apache helicopter” on the Internet.
“There’s clearly significant potential threat to aviation operating in Iraqi and Syrian airspace due to ongoing fighting,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday. “Of particular concern are advanced nonconventional weapons like MANPADs.”
CNN correspondent Jim Scuitto said no matter what measures they take, Iraqi forces are still vulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles that IS militants claim to possess.
