Missile 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher)

The 9K35 Strela-10 (NATO reporting name SA-13 "Gopher") is a mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile system developed as the successor to the 9K31 Strela-1. Initiated on 24 July 1969, development proceeded as an economical alternative to the 2K22 Tunguska hybrid system, prioritizing rapid reaction times and resistance to radio-frequency jamming. The system utilizes a tracked MT-LB chassis, offering improved mobility and cargo space compared to its predecessor's wheeled chassis, with some variants featuring amphibious capability. Following testing from 1973 to 1974, the system entered service on 16 May 1976. Subsequent modernization efforts produced the Strela-10M, -10M2, -10M3, and the wheeled 9K35M3-K Kolchan. The Strela-10M4 variant was introduced to provide night operations capability, while the Sosna system is planned as its eventual replacement.

The system is designed to engage low-altitude threats, particularly helicopters. It utilizes electro-optical guidance, relying on reticle-based photocontrast and infrared homing. Target acquisition and ranging can be supported by radar systems, including passive radar detection and target acquisition radars. The tracked vehicle carries four ready-to-launch missiles in turret-mounted canisters, with additional reload missiles stored internally. The system is backwards compatible with older 9M31M missiles but primarily operates 9M37, 9M37M, and 9M333 missiles. The 9M37M variant incorporates an upgraded autopilot system. The 9M333 variant features a heavier expanding-rod warhead with increased high-explosive content, an eight-ray laser proximity fuze optimized for small targets like cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, and a triple-channel homing head for countermeasure resistance.

The 9K35 is widely deployed, with current operators including Russia, Ukraine, India, Cuba, Angola, and several Eastern European, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern nations. It has been manufactured under local designations, such as the Type 10 in North Korea. Former operators include the Soviet Union, Iraq, and several Warsaw Pact member states.

In combat, the system was first used during the Angolan Civil War, where a Cuban-operated Strela-10 shot down a South African Mirage F1AZ in 1988. During the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi Republican Guard units deployed the system, downing two US A-10A aircraft on 15 February 1991. Another US A-10 was struck by a Yugoslav Strela-10 during the 1999 Kosovo War. In the Syrian Civil War, Syrian forces reportedly fired the missiles in response to a 2018 coalition air strike. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, Armenian Strela-10 systems were targeted and destroyed by Azerbaijani Bayraktar TB2 drones. In the Russo-Ukrainian War, both sides have deployed the system; Ukrainian drones have destroyed Russian units, including one on Snake Island, while Russia has reportedly utilized the 9M333 missile. During the 2023 Wagner Group rebellion, a Strela-10 targeted a Russian Ka-52 helicopter, which avoided the missile using flares.