Missile V-75 (SA-2 Guideline)

The V-75 was developed in the Soviet Union during the early 1950s to counter long-range jet bombers. Designed to replace high-altitude anti-aircraft artillery, the system focused on intercepting large, non-maneuvering targets. It entered service in 1957.

The system utilizes a two-stage missile comprising a solid-fuel booster and a storable liquid-fuel upper stage. Guidance is achieved through radio control command signals sent from ground-based computers. The standard warhead is a fragmentation-high explosive type equipped with proximity, contact, and command fusing. The S-75AK variant was developed to carry a nuclear warhead with an estimated yield of 15 kilotons as an alternative to conventional munitions. Ground equipment includes early warning and acquisition radars. Later modifications introduced electronic counter-countermeasure capabilities and passive tracking modes to home in on jamming signals.

The V-75 is widely deployed and has been exported to numerous countries. It remains in service with several operators, including Egypt, North Korea, and Vietnam. The system achieved the first destruction of an aircraft by a surface-to-air missile in 1959 when it struck a Taiwanese RB-57D. It gained further exposure following the 1960 shootdown of a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over the Soviet Union and the 1962 destruction of a U-2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

During the Vietnam War, the system was used extensively against U.S. aviation, including B-52 bombers. It has seen action in the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War. In the Yemeni Civil War, forces have modified the V-75 for use as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile. China produces domestic versions under the HQ-1 and HQ-2 designations, while Egypt and Iran have produced reverse-engineered or upgraded variants.