U.S. Army Pfc. Jackson Muse, 11th Airborne Division, fires an FIM-92 Stinger for the first time on Aug. 26, 2025, during the Super Garuda Shield exercise in Baturaja, Indonesia. (Seu Chan/U.S. Army)
Soldiers with the 11th Airborne Division fired a pair FIM-92 Stinger missiles Tuesday during the Super Garuda Shield exercise in Indonesia, a first for the Alaska-based division.
The missiles were launched near the town of Baturaja on the island of Sumatra, the Army said in a Tuesday news release that described the inaugural live-fire event as a “milestone” for the division.
The Stinger is a portable, shoulder-fired weapon that uses infrared sensors to lock onto targets. It is used to destroy low-flying aircraft, such as helicopters and drones.
“Not only is this a first for the whole 11th ABD, but it is also the first time that we are utilizing this capability in Indonesia.” Capt. Kaden Cox, the air defense officer in charge of the live fire, said in the release.
Roughly 100 service members from the United States, Indonesia, Australia and Canada were involved in the firing.
The division has for the past three years been building a Stinger gunnery program to train and certify soldiers in the weapon, Maj. Jo Nederhoed, a division spokesperson, told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday.
This event was an opportunity for the division’s noncommissioned officers to evaluate that initial training in a realistic environment, the news release states.
“This was my first time shooting one of these things,” Pfc. Jackson Muse, an infantryman and main firer for the exercise, said in the release. “We got up early to rehearse, orient the gear, and just took time to get into the right head space.”
The Stinger has been in use for decades and proven invaluable to ground forces. Ukraine has made extensive use of U.S. and German-supplied Stingers against Russian aircraft since being invaded in 2022. The U.S. supplied Stinger missiles to Afghan mujahideen fighters as they fended a 10-year incursion by the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
This year’s Super Garuda Shield, which kicked off Monday and runs through Sept. 5, is the largest ever.
It has more than 6,500 participants from 13 nations, including India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands,
Among the planned drills are rapid infiltration missions with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, urban-warfare tactics and medical operations under simulated battlefield conditions.
