The dramatic pictures of a cargo aircraft, one wing shredded and on fire, struggling to return to Baghdad airport after being hit by a ground to air missile fired by terrorists, brought home the serious threat commercial aircraft face from this type of attack.
The attack on the DHL Airbus in November 2003 was the second serious incident the industry had faced in a year. In Kenya 12 months earlier, two man-portable air defence missles, or manpads, were launched at an Arkia Airlines Boeing 757 as it took off from Mombasa.
