Troubling... Apparently Viktor Bout guaranteed delivery of 100 shoulder launched surface-to-air missiles to FARC shortly before he was arrested in Thailand. Strategic Security Blog:
Most alarming are the 100 Igla missiles and that were supposedly “available immediately” to Bout. The Igla is an advanced, Russian IR-seeking, surface-to-air missile that is often fired from a launch tube that rests on the operator's shoulder....this case is a poignant reminder of the continued availability of sophisticated light weapons to terrorists, insurgents and the arms traffickers that stock their arsenals. Despite a broad and energetic global campaign to deny terrorists access to shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles, these weapons continue to find their way into the arsenals of armed groups.
As we all know from watching Charlie Wilson's War, shoulder launched SAMs are a great equalizer for insurgent groups, as effective missiles substantially reduce the ability of counter-insurgent forces to use the air. The more troubling possibility, which has thus far failed to materialize, is the use of such weapons against commercial aircraft. On the upside, the weapons only have an effective range of about three miles. On the downside, the loss of a single jetliner could result in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. In any case, the apparent ability of Bout to deliver such weapons to customers all over the world is probably the scariest part of his entire story.
--Robert Farley
