The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that the military grade weapon was located in the man's checked luggage at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
TSA officers called airport police who found the man and detained him for questioning. The unidentified traveler said he was in the military and coming home from Kuwait. He said he wanted to keep the weapon as a souvenir.
The TSA said the missile launcher was "not a live device." But it was handed over to the state fire marshal for disposal.
The man lives in Jacksonville, Texas, which is about 115 miles east of Dallas. He was ultimately allowed to catch his flight home.
He 'amnesty boxed' the pron, but couldn't get the launcher through the slot.