FIM-92 Stinger

The FIM-92 Stinger is a combat-proven shoulder-fired infrared-homing air-defense missile that has evolved from a Cold War MANPADS into a modern counter-drone weapon, now being refurbished, rebuilt and replaced through a multi-track programme to keep it operational into the 2030s.

Overview

The FIM-92 Stinger is the most widely fielded Western man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS). A single soldier or a two-man team can engage helicopters, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles with a fully passive missile that gives no warning of its approach. Over four decades it has been fired from the shoulder, from pedestal mounts on vehicles such as the Avenger and IM-SHORAD, and from helicopters and drones in the air-to-air role. The war in Ukraine turned the Stinger into an emblem of donated Western air defense, with more than 2,000 rounds rushed to Kyiv in early 2022, while a production line that had been cold for nearly twenty years was frantically re-established.

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