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9K34 Strela-3

Field	Value
is_missile	yes
name	9K34 Strela-3
image_size	250
caption	A 9K34 Strela-3 (SA-14) missile and launch tube.
origin	Soviet Union
type	Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS)
used_by	See Operators
wars	{{Plain list
manufacturer	KBM, Kolomna
service	1974–present
weight	{{Plain list
length	1.47 m
speed	470 m/s
vehicle_range	4500 m
altitude	1800 m vs. jets

SA-14 missile and launch tube.jpg

Angolan Civil War
South African Border War
Iran–Iraq War
Salvadoran Civil War
War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)
Yugoslav Wars
Second Congo War
Afghan Civil War
Iraq War
Missile weight: 10.3 kg
Full system: 16.0 kg (35.3 lb)

3000 m vs. slow moving targets

The 9K34 Strela-3 (, 'arrow', NATO reporting name: SA-14 Gremlin) is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) system. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela 2, and thus development proceeded rapidly. The new weapon was accepted into service in the Soviet Army in January 1974.

Description

The most significant change over the Strela 2 was the introduction of an all-new infra-red homing seeker head. The new seeker worked on FM modulation (con-scan) principle, which is less vulnerable to jamming and decoy flares than the earlier AM (spin-scan) seekers, which were easily fooled by flares and even the most primitive infrared jammers. The new seeker also introduced detector element cooling in the form of a pressurized nitrogen bottle attached to the launcher.

The effect of cooling was to expand the seeker's lead sulfide detector element's sensitivity range to longer wavelengths (slightly over 4 μm as opposed to 2.8 μm of uncooled PbS elements). In practice this made possible the tracking of cooler targets over longer ranges, and enabled forward-hemisphere engagement of jets under favourable circumstances. The seeker also had better tracking rate, enabling the missile to track maneuvering of fast and approaching targets.

A negative side effect from the aforementioned improvements was increased missile weight, which caused a slight decrease in the kinematic performance of the original Strela-2 (SA-7). Against relatively slow, low-altitude battlefield air threats the overall effectiveness was much improved.

Strela-3 missiles have been exported to over 30 countries.

The original Strela-3 missile was the 9M36. The follow-on to the Strela-3 was Igla.

The naval version of this missile has the NATO reporting name of SA-N-8.

Operational history

Iraq

On 22 November 2003 an Airbus A300 cargo plane was hit by a Strela-3 missile after takeoff from Baghdad International Airport, but managed to land safely despite losing hydraulic power.

On 6 May 2006, a British Westland Lynx AH.7 of the Royal Navy from 847 Squadron was shot down with a Strela-3 over Basra, killing five crewmen and crashing into a house.

Georgia

During the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993), a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by a Georgian Army SA-14 on December 14, 1992, resulting in the death of 3 crew and 58 passengers, most of them Russian refugees. A Georgian Air Force Su-25 was shot down over Nizhnaya Eshera on 4 July 1993 by SA-14, and several other aircraft on both sides may have been shot down by SA-14s.

Former Yugoslavia

A British Sea Harrier FRS1 of 801 Naval Air Squadron, operating from aircraft carrier on 16 April 1994, was shot down during its attack on two Republika Srpska T-55 tanks in Bosnia. The pilot, Lieutenant Nick Richardson, ejected and landed in territory controlled by friendly Bosnian Muslims.

DR Congo

A Zimbabwe Air Force Il-76 was shot down by Congolese rebels using an SA-14 on 11 October 1998 during the Second Congo War, resulting in the death of 40 troops and crew.

Afghanistan

SA-14s used by the Northern Alliance are credited with having shot down 8 Taliban MiG-21 and Su-22 fighters during the Taliban's 2000 offensive against Taloqan.

Turkey

A SA-14 (9K34 Strela-3) MANPADS was found during Operation Claw (2019-2020) in June 2019 in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq belonging to the PKK.

Operators

Current

− Used by Ground Forces and Airborne units.

Non-state

Hezbollah
Houthis
Islamic State
Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg Kurdistan Workers' Party

Former

− Produced under license.
– Never acquired to military service.
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
− Former East German stock, used for training only.
Iraq
– Used by the Abu Dhabi Royal Guard.

Non-state former

Bandera_-_Frente_Farabundo_Martí_para_la_Liberación_Nacional.svg Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
Flag of Jamiat-e Islami.svg Jamiat-e Islami
Tamil Eelam
Flag of the Revolutionary United Front.png Revolutionary United Front
Flag of UNITA.svg UNITA – Captured from MPLA and Cuban forces in late 1987.

Comparison chart

System	[9K32M Strela-2M](9k32-strela-2) (missile: 9M32M)	9K34 Strela-3 (missile: 9M36)
1968	1974	1968
15 kg	16 kg	13.3 kg
9.8 kg	10.3 kg	8.3 kg
1.44 m	1.47 m	1.40 m
1.15 kg (0.37 kg HMX) directed-energy blast fragmentation	1.17 kg (0.39 kg HMX) directed-energy blast fragmentation, including a 20g secondary charge to set off remaining rocket propellant	1.06 kg M222 (0.36 kg HTA-3) blast fragmentation
AM-modulated (spin scan), uncooled PbS detector element (1–2.8 μm sensitivity range). Tail-chase only.	FM-modulated (con scan), nitrogen-cooled PbS detector element (2–4.3 μm sensitivity range). Limited forward hemisphere (all-aspect) capability	AM-modulated, gas-cooled PbS detector element. Tail-chase only.
4,200 m	4,500 m	4,500 m
430 m/s	470 m/s	580 m/s
150/260 m/s	310/260 m/s	–/225 m/s
0.05–2.3 km	0.03–3.0 km	0.05–2.7 km

Citations

General and cited references

{{cite web |access-date=2008-04-23 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080417220914/http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-43.html | archive-date= 17 April 2008 | url-status= live
{{cite book |trans-title=History of design and development of missile systems and military systems of AAW of Russian Land Forces

References

"RAF Pursues Common DAS Demonstrator".
"2005".
Cooper, Tom. "Georgia and Abkhazia, 1992-1993: the War of Datchas". ACIG.org.
Cooper, Tom. "Zaire/DR Congo, 1980-2001". ACIG.org.
Cooper, Tom. "Afghanistan, 1979-2001; Part 2". ACIG.org.
(16 March 2022). "Additional air defense systems are being sent to Ukraine, US official says".
"SA-14 (9K34 Strela-3) MANPADS was found today in Hakurk belonging to the PKK. Additionally, multiple caves, shelters, ammunition and IED's have been found and destroyed in the last couple of days.".
"samolotypolskie.pl - 9K34 (9M36) "Strzała-3"".
(1989). "The Military Balance, 1989-1990". Brassey's.
(March 2013). "Guided light weapons reportedly held by non-state armed groups 1998-2013". Small Arms Survey..
Istorija sozdanija i razvitija vooruzhenija i vojennoi theniki PVO suhoputnyh voisk Rossii
"General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye".

Info: Wikipedia Source

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