MANPADS - Sounds like a diaper

MANPADS are man-portable air-defense systems, like Stinger missiles. According to this tidbit, the Somali pirates may have acquired them, and they are game changers.

The Press Trust of India reported an Indian Navy statement of concern that the Somali pirates now have acquired shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles [or man-portable air-defense](MANPADs). If confirmed, the connections and resources that would enable Somalis to acquire MANPADs from the international gray arms market would signify they are a much more organized and serious threat than simple Somali clansmen trying to provide for their families.

Of greater tactical significance, the use of rapid response teams flown in helicopters has been key tactic responsible for putting the pirates on the defensive. MANPADs would increase the risks and tend to neutralize that modern advantage. |Nightwatch, March 23, 2009|

Stingers helped drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan and they may well affect how international navies deal with these pirates.