Missile 9K34 Strela-3 (SA-14 Gremlin)
Soviet portable surface-to-air missile, entered service in 1974, guided by infrared homing.
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead weight | 1 kg (2 lb) |
| Diameter | 75 mm (3.0 in) |
| Length | 1,400 mm (55.1 in) |
| Flight altitude | 6,000 m (19,685 ft) |
| Weight | 10 kg (22 lb) |
| Range | 4.5 km (2.8 mi) |
| Max. speed | 2,160 km/h (Mach 2.2) |
Description
The 9K34 Strela-3 (NATO reporting name SA-14 Gremlin) is a man-portable air defense system developed in the Soviet Union. It was designed to address performance deficiencies in the earlier 9K32 Strela-2 system. The 9K34 entered service with the Soviet Army in January 1974 and was later succeeded by the Igla system.
The 9M36 missile utilizes an infrared homing seeker head operating on a frequency modulation (con-scan) principle, which provides resistance to jamming and decoy flares. The seeker employs a lead sulfide detector element cooled by a pressurized nitrogen bottle attached to the launcher. This cooling extends the sensitivity range to longer wavelengths, enabling the tracking of cooler targets and allowing for forward-hemisphere engagement of jet aircraft. The seeker tracking rate allows for the engagement of fast and maneuvering targets. The missile is equipped with a directed-energy blast fragmentation warhead containing HMX. The warhead assembly includes a secondary charge to ignite residual rocket propellant. A naval version of the system is designated as the SA-N-8.
The system is widely deployed, having been exported to over 30 countries. National operators include Russia, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. It is also utilized by non-state actors, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Combat use has been recorded in numerous conflicts. In the War in Abkhazia, the system downed an Mi-8 helicopter and a Su-25. During 1994 operations in Bosnia, a British Sea Harrier was shot down. In the Second Congo War, an Il-76 was destroyed by the missile. Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan used the system to down MiG-21 and Su-22 aircraft in 2000. In Iraq, a 9K34 struck an Airbus A300 in 2003 and shot down a British Westland Lynx helicopter in 2006. During the Angolan Civil War, UNITA forces captured the system from government and Cuban forces.