9К32 "Стрела-2" зениттік кешені: Тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

The 9K32 Strela 2 (Cтрела; NATO reporting name SA 7 Grail) is a light weight, shoulder fired, surface to air missile or MANPADS system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared homing guidance and destroy them with a high explosive warhead. Broadly comparable in performance with the US Army FIM 43 Redeye, the Strela 2 was the first Soviet man portable SAM – full scale production began in 1970. While the Redeye and 9K32 Strela 2 were similar, the missiles were not identical. The Strela 2 was a staple of the Cold War and was produced in huge numbers for the Soviet Union and their allies, as well as revolutionary movements.

The initial variant suffered from numerous shortcomings: it could only engage targets flying at relatively slow airspeeds and low altitudes and then only from rear hemisphere, it suffered from poor guidance reliability (particularly in the presence of natural or man made background IR radiation sources), and even when a hit was achieved, it often failed to destroy the target. Poor lethality was an issue especially when used against jet aircraft: the hottest part of the target was the nozzle behind the actual engine, which the missile therefore usually hit; but there its small warhead often failed to cause significant damage to the engine itself. In order to address the shortcomings, two improved versions were ordered in 1968; as an intermediate stop gap the slightly improved 9K32M "Strela 2M" (NATO reporting name SA 7b) to replace the original, as well as the more ambitious Strela 3. As the modifications introduced with the Strela 2M were relatively minor, the process was fast and it was accepted in service in 1970. This remained the warhead of all Soviet MANPADS up to and including most 9K38 Igla variants; to address the problem of poor lethality, a more powerful HE filling than TNT, improved fuzing, a terminal maneuver, and finally a separate charge to set off any remaining rocket fuel were gradually introduced in later MANPADS systems, but the original Strela 2/2M warhead design of a directed energy HE charge in a pre fragmented casing remained. The seeker head improvements were only minor changes to allow better discrimination of the target signal against background emissions. installed on four round pedestal mounts

When engaging slow or straight receding targets, the operator tracks the target with the iron sights in the launch tube and applies half trigger. This action "uncages" the seeker and allows its attempt to track. If a target IR signature can be tracked against the background present, this is indicated by a light and a buzzer sound. The shooter then pulls the trigger fully, and immediately applies lead and superelevation. This method is called a manual engagement. An automatic mode, which is used against fast targets, allows the shooter to fully depress the trigger in one pull followed by immediate lead and superelevation of the launch tube. The seeker will uncage and will automatically launch the missile if a strong enough signal is detected. The manufacturer lists reaction time measured from the carrying position (missile carried on a soldier's back with protective covers) to missile launch to be 13 seconds, a figure that is achievable but requires considerable training and skill in missile handling. With the launcher on the shoulder, covers removed and sights extended, reaction time from fire command to launch reduces to 6–10 seconds, depending greatly on the target difficulty and the shooter's skill. After activating the power supply to the missile electronics, the gunner waits for electricity supply and gyros to stabilize, puts the sights on target and tracks it smoothly with the launch tube's iron sights, and pulls the trigger on the grip stock. This activates the seeker electronics and the missile attempts to lock onto the target. If the target is producing a strong enough signal and the angular tracking rate is within acceptable launch parameters, the missile alerts the gunner that the target is locked on by illuminating a light in the sight mechanism, and producing a constant buzzing noise. The operator then has 0.8 seconds to provide lead to the target while the missile's on board power supply is activated and the throw out motor ignited. Should the target be outside acceptable parameters, then the light cue in the sight and the buzzer signal tell the gunner to re aim the missile. On launch, the booster burns out before the missile leaves the launch tube at 32 m/s and rotating at around 20 revolutions per second. As the missile leaves the tube, the two forward steering fins unfold, as do the four rear stabilizing tail fins. The self destruct mechanism is then armed, which is set to destroy the missile after between 14 and 17 seconds to prevent it hitting the ground if it should miss the target. Once the missile is five and a half meters away from the gunner, c. 0.3 seconds after leaving the launch tube, it activates the rocket sustainer motor. The sustainer motor takes it to a velocity of , and sustains it at this speed. Once it reaches peak speed, at a distance of around from the gunner, the final safety mechanism is disabled and the missile is fully armed. All told, the booster burns for 0.5 second and the driving engine for another 2.0 seconds. where 4,356 Strelas were fired, scoring few hits and just 2

The Strela was deployed by Syrian forces occupying Lebanon, along with other Soviet air defence systems that challenged U. S., French and Israeli airpower in the aftermath of the 1982 conflict and the deployment of the Multinational Force in Lebanon during that year. On 10 November 1983, an SA 7 was fired at a French Super Etendard near Bourj el Barajneh while flying over Druze People's Liberation Army (PLA) positions. On 3 December, more Strelas and anti aircraft artillery (AAA) were fired at United States Navy F 14 Tomcats flying a reconnaissance mission. The Americans responded with a large strike package of 12 A 7 Corsairs and 16 A 6 Intruders (supported by a single E 2C Hawkeye, two EA 6B Prowlers and two F 14As) launched from the carriers John F. Kennedy and Independence sailing in the Mediterranean. The aircraft were to bomb Syrian installations, AAA sites and weapons depots near Falouga and Hammana, some 16 km north of Beirut Damascus highway, when they were received by a volley of (possibly up to 40) Syrian SAMs, one of which hit a Corsair (AE305 of the VA 15), forcing the pilot to eject over the sea before being rescued by a USN search and rescue mission. A second Corsair, searching for the downed Intruder crew, was later hit by an SA 7. The pilot, Cdr. Edward Andrews, managed to eject over the sea near Beirut and was rescued by a fisherman and his son who in turn handed him over to the U. S Marines.

On 24 June 1974, Palestinian guerrillas operating in southern Lebanon fired two SA 7s against invading Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft, though no hits were scored. The Lebanese Al Mourabitoun militia received either from Syria or the PLO a number of SA 7s, which they employed against Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter bomber jets during the 1982 Lebanon War. During the 1983–84 Mountain War, the Druze People's Liberation Army (PLA) militia received from Syria a number of Strela missiles, which were used to bring down two Lebanese Air Force Hawker Hunter fighter jets and one Israeli IAI Kfir fighter bomber aircraft, on 20 November over the mountainous Chouf district southeast of Beirut (the pilot was rescued by the Lebanese Army). The Christian Maronite Lebanese Forces militia (LF) also received from Iraq a number of Strela missiles in 1988–89. The Shiite Hezbollah guerrilla group also acquired some Strelas in the late 1980s and fired them against Israeli aircraft in November 1991. Since then, they have since fired many Strelas against Israeli aircraft, including two against Israeli warplanes on 12 June 2001 near Tyre, but have never scored a hit.

In the early dawn of 31 January 1991 during the Battle of Khafji in Operation Desert Storm, an Iraqi soldier shot down an American AC 130H gunship with a Strela 2, killing all 14 crewmembers. Strela 2 missiles have been used against Turkish Army helicopters by the PKK in northern Iraq. During Operation Hammer; on 18 May 1997, a Strela 2 missile was used to shoot down an AH 1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. On 4 June 1997, another Strela was used to bring down a Turkish Army AS 532UL Cougar transport helicopter in the Zakho area, killing the 11 soldiers on board. The video of the first attack was used extensively for PKK propaganda and eventually released to the Internet. Greece and Serbia's intelligence services, as well as Iran, Syria, Armenia, and Cyprus were traced as possible sources of the missiles. A Strela 2 missile is said to have been used in April 2005, when members of the insurgents shot down an Mi 8 helicopter operated by Blackwater, killing all 11 crew members. The Islamic Army in Iraq took responsibility for the action and a video showing the downing was released on the Internet. The missile launcher is not visible on the video, however, making it impossible to confirm the type of MANPADS used. The spate of helicopter shoot downs during 2006 and 2007 in Iraq has been partly attributed to the prevalence of the Strela amongst Sunni insurgent groups of that time; while al Qaeda is said to have produced an hour long training video on how to use SA 7s.

During October 2012, militants in Gaza fired a Strela at an IDF helicopter. During Operation Pillar of Defense, Hamas released a video purporting to be a Strela missile launch at an IAF target. In March 2013, one was also reportedly fired from Gaza at an IAF helicopter. in October 2023, Hamas claimed to have used these missiles to down an IAF helicopter during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula allegedly shot down a UAE Mirage fighter jet with a Strela during the Yemeni Civil War (2015–present). Houthi rebels were seen carrying 9K32 Strela 2s.

In 1977, the Republic of Afghanistan received the Strela 2M and were in use by the Afghan Army. The Strela 2M was used also in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War by the Mujahiddeen. The missiles were obtained from various sources, some from Egypt and China (locally manufactured Sakr Eye and HN 5 versions of the SAM), and the CIA also assisted the guerrillas in finding missiles from other sources. Results from combat use were not dissimilar from experiences with the Strela 2/2M from Vietnam: while 42 helicopters were shot down by various Strela 2 variants (including a few Mi 24s until exhaust shrouds made them next to invisible to the short wavelength Strela 2 seeker) only five fixed wing aircraft were destroyed with the weapon. Due to its poor kinematic performance and vulnerability to even the most primitive infra red countermeasures, the guerrillas considered the Strela 2 suitable for use against helicopters and prop driven transports, but not combat jets. However, the recent studies and interviews after the Cold war say that most Strelas sold to the Mujahiddeen on the black market were broken/damaged or faulty. This is possibly another reason why the Soviet army in Afghanistan didn't expect working anti aircraft missiles like the Stinger to be used. On 22 July 2007 the first reported attack of the Taliban against a coalition aircraft using MANPADS was reported. The weapon was reported to be an SA 7 allegedly smuggled from Iran to the Taliban. The missile failed after the crew of the USAF C 130, flying over the Nimroz province, launched flares and made evasive manoeuvers. However, most of the Strelas operated by al Qaeda in Afghanistan are probably inherited from fighters that used it during the Soviet invasion. Most are probably faulty, broken or in other ways not usable (even from the beginning) against military helicopters, with the intercepts of NATO aviation by Stingers (acquired also during 80s) or other missiles.

Chechen forces had access to old Soviet stockpiles of Strela 2M and Igla missiles, as well former Soviet Army personnel trained to operate them. In the First Chechen war Russian forces lost about 38 aircraft of which 15 were caused by MANPADS with another 10 probably caused by MANPADS, while the rest were caused by other anti aircraft weapons. During the Second Chechen war the Russians lost 45 helicopters and 8 fixed wing aircraft, the majority presumably caused by MANPADS.

The SA 7 saw heavy usage by all sides during the Georgian Civil War. The first known loss to an SA 7 happened on 13 June 1993, when a GAF Su 25 was shot down by a Strela over Shubara. On two later occasions, Georgian airliners (a Tu 134A and a Tu 134B) were shot down by SA 7s, killing a total of 110 people.

PAIGC rebels fighting for independence from Portugal began to receive SA 7s in early 1973, a development that immediately became a threat to Portuguese air supremacy. On 23 March 1973, two Portuguese Air Force (FAP) Fiat G.91s were shot down by SA 7s, followed six weeks later by another Fiat, and a Dornier Do 27.

FRELIMO fighters in Mozambique were also able to field some SA 7s with Chinese support, although the weapon is not known to have caused any losses to the FAP, even if it forced Portuguese pilots to change their tactics. In one case a Douglas DC 3 carrying foreign military attaches and members of the senior Portuguese military command was hit by an SA 7 in one of the engines. The crippled plane managed to land safely and was later repaired.

In Angola and Namibia, SA 7s were deployed against the South African Air Force with limited success. The SAAF lost Atlas Impalas to Strelas on 24 January 1980 and 10 October 1980. Another Impala was hit by an SA 7 on 23 December 1983, but the pilot was able to fly the aircraft back to Ondangwa AB. UNITA also reportedly obtained 50 SA 7s that Israel had captured, via the CIA. The first one was fired at Cuban aircraft by a French mercenary on 13 March 1976, but the missile failed to hit the target. The individual missiles may have been in poor condition, as none scored a direct hit. Additionally, it is claimed that UNITA used SA 7s to shoot down two Transafrik International Lockheed L 100 30 Hercules flying UN charters, on 26 December 1998 and 2 January 1999, both near Huambo.

Using an SA 7, the Sudan People's Liberation Army shot down a Sudan Airways Fokker F 27 Friendship 400M taking off from Malakal on 16 August 1986, killing all 60 on board. On 21 December 1989, an Aviation Sans Frontières Britten Norman BN 2A 9 Islander (F OGSM) was shot down by an SA 7 while taking off from Aweil Sudan, killing the four crew on board.

The Polisario Front used SA 7s against the Royal Moroccan Air Force and Mauritanian Air Force during the Western Sahara War over the former Spanish colonies of the Spanish Sahara. The Mauritania Air Force lost a Britten Norman Defender to a SA 7 fired by the Polisario on 29 December 1976. Between 1975 and 1991, the Royal Moroccan Air Force has lost several Northrop F 5A Freedom Fighters and Dassault Mirage F1s to SA 7s fired by the Polisario. In a case of mistaken identity, a Dornier 228 owned by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research was shot down over the Western Sahara near Dakhla on 24 February 1985. Two Dornier 228s named Polar 2 and Polar 3 were on a return flight to Germany following a South Pole expedition. After having taken off from Dakar, Senegal, en route to Arrecife, Canary Islands, flying 5 minutes behind Polar 2 and at a lower altitude (9,000 feet), Polar 3 was shot down by a SA 7 fired by the Polisario. The crew of three was killed. In another incident, on 8 December 1988, two Douglas DC 7CFs flying at 11,000 feet from Dakar, Senegal to Agadir, Morocco for a locust control mission there, had SA 7s fired at them by the Polisario. One aircraft, N284, was hit and lost one of its engines and part of a wing. This led to the aircraft crashing, killing the crew of five. The other aircraft, N90804, also was hit and lost an engine along with suffering other damage, but it was able to land safely at Sidi Ifni Morocco.

During the Rhodesian Bush War, members of the military wing of the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army brought down two Vickers Viscount civilian airliners near Kariba; the first in September 1978, the second in February 1979. There was great loss of life in both instances as the flights were returning from a well known tourist attraction. Vickers Viscount, Flight RH825, 3 September 1978 – downed by a Strela missile near Kariba Dam. After initial impact, the pilot was able to make an emergency landing in a nearby field but the aircraft broke up on impact. Eighteen of the fifty six passengers in the tail section survived the crash. Ten of these survivors were shot dead at the crash site by insurgents, who later looted the bodies and wreckage. A Lignes Aériennes Congolaises Boeing 727 30 taking off from Kindu was shot down by an SA 7 fired by rebel forces in 1998, killing all 41 on board. Two missiles were fired at a Boeing 757 during the 2002 Mombasa attacks in Kenya. Neither missile struck its target.

Strela 2M missiles were available to Argentinian troops in the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. War Machine Encyclopedia shows no records of any launches, but several missiles were captured.

The Strela 2 was used by both Sandinista government forces and US backed Contra insurgents during the 1979–1990 civil war. On 3 October 1983, at about 10:00 am, Sandinista soldier Fausto Palacios used a Strela to shoot down a Contra operated Douglas DC 3 that had taken off from Catamacas airport in Honduras, carrying supplies, over the area of Los Cedros, in the Nueva Segovia Department. One crewman died in the crash and four were captured by government forces. The pilot, Major Roberto Amador Alvarez, as well as his co pilot Capt. Hugo Reinaldo Aguilar were former members of the extinct National Guard of the former dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle. On 27 August 1984, Sandinista soldier Fanor Medina Leyton shot down a Contra operated Douglas C 47 Skytrain with a Strela. Sources differ over the attack and crash area: both a Russian source and Sandinista officials reported the Jinotega Department, while the Aviation Safety Network reports the Quilalí area in the Nueva Segovia department. All eight occupants were killed. The pilot, José Luis Gutiérrez Lugo, was reported as a former pilot for the Somoza family. Sandinista and Contra forces subsequently battled for the control of six packages dropped from the plane. On 5 October 1986 a Corporate Air Services C 123 Provider (HPF821, previously N4410F and USAF 54 679, (c/n 20128)) conducting a covert drop of arms to Contra fighters in Nicaragua was shot down by Sandinista soldier José Fernando Canales Alemán, using an SA 7. CIA pilots William J. Cooper and Wallace "Buzz" Sawyer as well as radio operator Freddy Vilches were killed in the crash. Loadmaster Eugene Hasenfus parachuted to safety and was taken prisoner. He was later released in December 1986. The flight had departed Ilopango Airport, El Salvador loaded with 70 Soviet made AK 47 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition, rocket grenades and other supplies. On 15 June 1987, a Contra operated Beechcraft Baron 56TC (reg. N666PF, msn. TG 60) was hit by Sandinista anti aircraft fire over the Nueva Segovia Department. The (formerly civilian) light utility aircraft, which was removed from the US registry two years before, and was reportedly modified to carry rockets for use in an air to ground light strike role, was downed after an attack that reportedly included dropping leaflets and, possibly, reconnaissance. The aircraft crashed 6 km. inside Honduras, in an area known as Cerro El Tigre and its three occupants, all former military elements of the Somoza dictatorship, were injured and captured after the crash landing and were treated in Honduras. The pilot, Juan Gomez, a former colonel in Somoza's National Guard was also reported to be the head of the Contra air force. A Russian source credits the Baron’s downing to an Strela 2 fired from Murra by Sandinista soldier Jose Manuel Rodriguez.

FMLN rebels acquired SA 7 missiles around 1989 and employed them extensively in the closing years of the Salvadoran Civil War, dramatically increasing the combat losses of Salvadoran Air Force aircraft. At least two O 2 Skymasters (on 26 September and 19 November 1990), one A 37 Dragonfly (on 23 November 1990), two Hughes 500 helicopters (2 February and 18 May 1990), and two UH 1Hs were lost to SA 7s. One of the UH 1Hs (on 2 January 1991) was crewed by US Army personnel, while the other was operated by the Honduran Air Force.

In late December 2012, a video showing FARC rebels attempting to shoot down a Colombian Air Force Arpía helicopter with an SA 7 in the Cauca raised the alarm in the Colombian military, though the missile failed. During that same month, a Strela was captured by the Colombian military. It is believed that they might came from Cuba, Nicaragua or Peru; the only Latin American operators of the type. Furthermore, the CIA's motive to remove and destroy Chinese copies of the SA 7 (HN 5s) from Bolivia in 2005 was the fear of them reaching FARC rebels because, according to a US military magazine, “they used the HN 5 against Colombian operated U. S made helicopters”. The Ecuadorian Army captured an HN 5 allegedly destined for the FARC in the border province of Sucumbíos, near Colombia, in July 2013.

The Army of Republika Srpska, backed by the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro, used Strela 2M and upgraded Strela 2M/A missiles against Bosnian, Croatian, and NATO forces. On 3 September 1992, an Italian Air Force G.222 transport was presumably shot down by an Strela 2M during a United Nations relief mission near Sarajevo. Serbian forces shot down a Croatian Air Force MiG 21 in September 1993 with a Strela 2M. On 17December 1994, a French Navy Dassault Étendard IVP was hit by a Strela 2M, but managed to return to its carrier. During Operation Deliberate Force, NATO pilots were instructed to fly in medium altitudes to avoid Bosnian Serb MANPADS, such as the Strela 2 and the more modern Igla, although on 30 August 1995 a French Air Force Mirage 2000N was shot down by a Bosnian Serb MANPADS and its crew captured, the only aircraft lost during the campaign due hostile fire.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) acquired some missiles from Libya. One was reported to have been fired at a British Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter in July 1991 in South Armagh; however, it missed its target. To counter the new threat, the British helicopters flew in pairs below 15 meters (50 feet) or above 150 meters (500 feet).

In 2001, the Basque separatist group ETA tried on three occasions (29 April, 4 and 11 May) to use Strela 2 missiles to shoot down the Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft with the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on board. The attempts, which were made near the Fuenterrabía and Foronda airports, were unsuccessful as each time the missiles failed to launch. In 2004, several systems were captured by the Civil Guard. Some Strela 2 missiles were bought from the IRA in 1999, while Libya was tracked as the original source used by the IRA.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany reversed its ban on weapon sales to provide Ukraine with military support. On 23 March 2022, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed the delivery of 500 Strela 2 missiles which were part of former East German arsenals.