| 9K34 Strela-3 | |
|---|---|
 A 9K34 Strela-3 (SA-14) missile and launch tube. | |
| Type | Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1974–present |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | KBM,Kolomna |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 1.47 metres (4.8 ft) |
Operational range | 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) |
| Flight altitude | 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) vs. jets 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) vs. slow moving targets |
| Maximum speed | 470 metres per second (1,700 km/h; 1,100 mph) |
The9K34 Strela-3 (Russian:9К34 «Стрела-3», 'arrow',NATO reporting name:SA-14 Gremlin) is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in theSoviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) system. Themissile was largely based on the earlierStrela 2, and thus development proceeded rapidly. The new weapon was accepted into service in theSoviet Army in January 1974.
The most significant change over the Strela 2 was the introduction of an all-newinfra-red homing seeker head. The new seeker worked onFM modulation (con-scan) principle, which is less vulnerable tojamming and decoy flares than the earlier AM (spin-scan) seekers, which were easily fooled byflares and even the most primitiveinfraredjammers. The new seeker also introduced detector element cooling in the form of apressurizednitrogen bottle attached to the launcher.
The effect of cooling was to expand the seeker's lead sulfide detector element's sensitivity range to longerwavelengths (slightly over 4μm 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).[citation needed] Against relatively slow, low-altitude battlefield air threats the overall effectiveness was much improved.[citation needed]
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 wasIgla.
The naval version of this missile has the NATO reporting name ofSA-N-8.
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On 22 November 2003 anAirbus A300 cargo plane was hit by a Strela-3 missile after takeoff fromBaghdad International Airport, but managed to land safely despite losing hydraulic power.
On 6 May 2006, a BritishWestland Lynx AH.7 of theRoyal Navy from 847 Squadron was shot down with a Strela-3 over Basra, killing five crewmen and crashing into a house.[1]
During theWar in Abkhazia (1992–1993), a RussianMi-8 helicopter was shot down by aGeorgian Army SA-14 on December 14, 1992, resulting in the death of 3 crew and 58 passengers, most of them Russian refugees. AGeorgian Air ForceSu-25 was shot down over Nizhnaya Eshera on 4 July 1993 by SA-14,[2] and several other aircraft on both sides may have been shot down by SA-14s.[3]
A BritishSea Harrier FRS1 of801 Naval Air Squadron, operating from aircraft carrierHMS Ark Royal on 16 April 1994, was shot down during its attack on twoRepublika SrpskaT-55 tanks inBosnia. The pilot, Lieutenant Nick Richardson, ejected and landed in territory controlled by friendlyBosnian Muslims.
AZimbabwe Air ForceIl-76 was shot down by Congolese rebels using an SA-14 on 11 October 1998 during theSecond Congo War, resulting in the death of 40 troops and crew.[4]
SA-14s used by theNorthern Alliance are credited with having shot down 8TalibanMiG-21 andSu-22 fighters during the Taliban's 2000 offensive againstTaloqan.[5]
A SA-14 (9K34 Strela-3) MANPADS was found duringOperation Claw (2019-2020) in June 2019 in the Hakurk region of northernIraq belonging to thePKK.[citation needed]
Angola[6]
Azerbaijan[7]
Bosnia and Herzegovina[8]
Croatia[9]
Cuba[10]
Georgia[11]
Iran[12]
Jordan[13]
Nicaragua[14]
North Korea[15]
Peru[16]
Russia − Used by Ground Forces and Airborne units.[17]
Syria[18]
Turkmenistan[19]
Ukraine[20][21]
Armenia[26]
Belarus[26]
Bulgaria − Produced under license.[26]
Czechoslovakia[27] Czech Republic[26]
East Germany – Never acquired to military service.[28]
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia[20]
Finland[26]
Germany − Former East German stock, used for training only.[20]
Hungary[20]
India[20]
Iraq[20]
Kazakhstan[20]
Kyrgyzstan[20]
Moldova[20]
Poland[20]
South Africa[20]
Soviet Union[29]
Tajikistan[20]
United Arab Emirates – Used by the Abu Dhabi Royal Guard.[20]
Uzbekistan[20]
Vietnam[20]
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front[30]
Jamiat-e Islami[22]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam[22]
Revolutionary United Front[22]
UNITA[22] – Captured fromMPLA and Cuban forces in late 1987.[30]| System | 9K32M Strela-2M (missile: 9M32M) | 9K34 Strela-3 (missile: 9M36)[31] | FIM-43C Redeye[32] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service entry | 1968 | 1974 | 1968 |
| Mass, full system, ready to shoot | 15 kg | 16 kg | 13.3 kg |
| Weight, missile | 9.8 kg | 10.3 kg | 8.3 kg |
| Length | 1.44 m | 1.47 m | 1.40 m |
| Warhead | 1.15 kg (0.37 kgHMX) directed-energy blast fragmentation | 1.17 kg (0.39 kgHMX) directed-energy blast fragmentation, including a 20g secondary charge to set off remaining rocket propellant | 1.06 kg M222 (0.36 kgHTA-3) blast fragmentation |
| Seeker type | 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. |
| Maximum range | 4,200 m | 4,500 m | 4,500 m |
| Speed | 430 m/s | 470 m/s | 580 m/s |
| Target's maximum speed, approaching/receding | 150/260 m/s | 310/260 m/s | –/225 m/s |
| Engagement altitude | 0.05–2.3 km | 0.03–3.0 km | 0.05–2.7 km |
Media related toStrela-3 at Wikimedia Commons
