[We Happy Few]

Are these Patriot missiles, or conventional surface-to-air missiles?

[finnman69]

Avenger missile system

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/avenger.htm

[Thunder 6]

If the article is correct, they are HMMWV mounted Stinger Missile Lanuchers (with a coaxial mounted M2 HB .50 machine gun...the best part). Orignally designed to kill fast moving Soviet jets, and attack helos. Would work on an aircraft in range as long as there was a heat source and the missle got a good tone/lock. Problem with hitting anything bigger than the proverbial Cessna, is that debris/fuel/ordnance from the aircraft might fall on a population center, and if the A/C is big enough...its momentum may carry it onto/into the area you are trying to protect. Stinger warhead may not be big enough to destroy a 747 for instance...probably only cripple it.