QUICK LINKS

FIM-92 Stinger

The Stinger is a man-portable, shoulder-fired guided missile system which enables a man on the ground to effectively engage low-altitude jet, propeller-driven and helicopter aircraft. Developed by the United States Army Missile Command, the Stinger was the successor to the Redeye Weapon System. The system is a "fire-and-forget" weapon employing a passive infrared seeker and proportional navigation system. Stinger also is designed for the threat beyond the 1990s, with an all-aspect engagement capability, and IFF (Identification-Friend-or-Foe), improved range and maneuverability, and significant countermeasures immunity. The missile, packaged within its disposable launch tube, is delivered as a certified round, requiring no field testing or direct support maintenance. A separable, reusable gripstock is attached to the round prior to use and may be used again. The Stingers "all aspect" engagement capability was a major improvement over the FIM-43 "Redeye", the first man-portable surface-to-air missile in the world. In 1989, an improved Stinger, equipped with a reprogrammable microprocessor (RMP), was fielded by the Marine Corps. The RMP is a modular enhancement which allows the Stinger to engage and destroy more sophisticated air threats. Stinger will also be employed by the Pedestal-Mounted Stinger Air Defense Vehicle and the Light Armored Vehicle, Air Defense Variant (LAV-AD) during the 1990s. The Stinger was initially operational in 1982.
 

Jirka Wagner