Originally Posted by
rickair7777
I said "Airliners".
"Civilian Aircraft" is not the same as "Airliners".
There's a reason AQ, Daesh, PLO, etc have not prioritized smuggling manpads into western countries to use against airliners. They're just barely smart enough not to waste the resources.
You might get lucky, but the bad guys don't usually waste their time on hail mary's... public failure isn't helpful to their cause.
You said TACAIR, with your comment aimed at centerline thrust military aircraft.
Mass casualties are merely a bonus for terrorists. Wreaking financial havoc through fear was their goal in 9/11 and I doubt that goal has changed. These people recruit martyrs; I don't think they care about body counts.
If you think that having a few airliners getting an engine shot off is public failure, OK. And if they wanted to increase the possibility of downing an airliner, they just need two or three MANPADs targeting a single aircraft.