James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 4056, the Commercial Aviation MANPADs Defense Act (CAMDA). Shoulder-fired missiles pose a…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 4056, the Commercial Aviation MANPADs Defense Act (CAMDA). Shoulder-fired missiles pose a serious threat to commercial aviation. Al Qaeda, through its actions, has clearly expressed the desire to strike at commercial aircraft with man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADs, and has trained its members to use them. Moreover, there is some evidence suggesting possible Al Qaeda links to two recent incidents involving MANPADs: In May 2002, a Saudi security patrol found a spent SA-7 tube inside a security fence at Prince Sultan Airbase; In November 2002, two shoulder-fired missiles were launched against a chartered Israeli Boeing 757-300 departing Kenya. MANPADs have proliferated into the hands of terrorists and insurgents. In fact, the number of MANPADs that cannot be accounted for--has greatly increased over the last year due largely to our war with Iraq. We also know that commercial aircraft are vulnerable. It has been estimated that over the last 25 years there have been as many as 35 attempts to shoot down civilian aircraft, resulting in the loss of 24 aircraft and 500 deaths. There is evidence to suggest that, in at least a few instances, multengine jets have been destroyed by MANPADs. And just last November, a DHL Airbus A-300 was severely damaged over Baghdad--actually losing hydraulics and flight controls--after being hit by a shoulder-fired missile.”