SA-27
Mobile medium-range army SAM
Latest Buk generation and the medium layer of Russian army air defence. Each launcher (TELAR) carries six missiles in sealed containers — two more than the SA-17 — with its own fire-control radar, so a battery can engage up to 36 targets at once. Targets: aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided bombs and drones. First battalion delivered in 2016; used, and lost, in Ukraine. Sources disagree on the missile designation and guidance method; those points are flagged below.
Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Vehicle
- TELAR 9A317M on GM-5955 tracked chassis
- L × W × H
- ≈ 9.3 × 3.25 × 3.8 m per Army Recognition (Buk family) — the WEG gives 7.5 × 3.3 × 5.1 m, identical to the Tor-M2 on the same chassis; uncertain
- Weight
- ≈ 34 t (WEG)
- Antenna / mast
- 9S36M illumination radar on a 21 m telescopic mast
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- 9M317M: 5.18 m × Ø 360 mm, rear fins 820 mm; 581 kg (WEG) — Army Recognition gives 795 kg; sources differ
- Dimension source
- WEG (ODIN); Army Recognition
General
- Role
- Mobile medium-range defence of army corps and manoeuvre units
- Manufacturer
- Almaz-Antey (design NIIP Tikhomirov, missile Novator)
- Designations
- DoD SA-27 · export name Viking (Rosoboronexport, 2018) · NATO name 'Gollum' cited by Army Recognition, but Wikipedia gives that name to the naval Shtil — uncertain
- In service
- First battalion 2016 (Russian MoD); Defence24 gives Oct. 2019 as start of fielding — sources differ
- Numbers
- 36 M3 vehicles delivered 2012–2017; 7 brigade sets on order (early 2020)
- Units
- incl. 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (Kursk, Western MD) — Defence Blog
- Lineage
- SA-17 Grizzly (Buk-M2) → SA-11 Gadfly (Buk-M1) → SA-6 Gainful (Kub)
Composition
- Command post
- 9S510M — processes the air picture and assigns targets to fire units
- Radars
- 9S36M mast-mounted illumination/guidance · new 9S38 acquisition radar (since 2021)
- TELAR 9A317M
- 6 missiles in containers, own fire-control radar at the front of the 360° turret
- TEL 9A316M
- 2 blocks of 6 missiles (reload and extra firepower)
- Battery
- 2× TELAR 9A317M + 1× TEL 9A316M
- Chassis
- GM-569A tracked · V-46 multi-fuel diesel 710 hp · 70 km/h · range 500 km
- Optical
- Thermal imaging sight (replaces the tele-optical tracker)
Weapon
- Missile
- 9M317M (GRAU) — Army Recognition cites 9R31M; designation differs by source
- Guidance
- Inertial with radio correction, terminal semi-active (SARH) per Wikipedia; earlier card text said active radar — uncertain
- Missile speed
- 1,550 m/s (Mach 4.6)
- Range
- 1.3 NM (min) – ≈ 38 NM (max)
- Altitude
- 50 ft (min; Wikipedia gives 16 ft) – ≈ 115,000 ft (max)
- Max target speed
- 3,000 m/s
- Firing interval
- 1 s, in any direction
- Single-shot Pk
- Aircraft 0.95 · cruise missile 0.8 · tactical ballistic missile 0.7 — manufacturer claim
Fire control
- Per TELAR radar
- Up to 6 targets at once in a 120° azimuth × 85° elevation sector
- Per complex
- Up to 36 targets at once
- Ready to fire
- ≤ 5 min after moving (Buk family)
Warning & threat
- RWR
- Yes — TELAR and 9S36 emissions; illumination means a missile may be on its way
- Combat record
- Ukraine since 2022. Russian claims of downed Bayraktars (not independently confirmed); Ukraine reports destroyed M3s (23 Feb 2024: two; 7 Apr 2025: two near Kursk, by drones)
- Export
- Viking offered since 2018; with Antey-2500 launchers 65 → 130 km per Rosoboronexport; no confirmed customer (open source)
- Countermeasure
- Stand-off, terrain masking, ECM, SEAD/DEAD on TELAR and 9S36 radars
- Threat level
- High — mobile, six missiles per TELAR, hard to locate
Further reading
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Technical report
9K37/9K37M1/9K317 Buk M1/M2 — SA-11/17 Gadfly/Grizzly (APA-TR-2009-0706)
In-depth technical report on the Buk family up to the M2: vehicles, radars and missiles. Predates the M3, but its lineage and the 9S36 radar are the foundation of the M3.
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Data sheet
Buk-M3 9K317M medium-range air defense missile system — technical data sheet
Specification sheet with battery layout, missile and performance; a good starting point, figures partly manufacturer claims.
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News
Almaz-Antey presents Buk-M3 Viking air defense missile system
Trade-show presentation of the Viking export version: six-round TELAR, thermal sight, 36 targets per battery.
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News
First battalion of Buk-M3 new air defense system has been delivered to the Russian army
First delivery and the make-up of an M3 battalion (9S510M, 9S36M, 9A317M, 9A316M).
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News
Army-2021: Almaz-Antey displays new 9S38E target acquisition radar for Buk-M3
Introduction of the new 9S38 acquisition radar for the M3 complex.
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Reference
SA-11 GADFLY — Military Analysis Network
Classic FAS reference on the Buk baseline. FAS has taken its foreign-systems pages offline; only available via archive.org.
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Reference
Buk missile system
Overview of all Buk generations with deliveries, missile performance and combat use, with references.
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Government document (public domain)
ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide (zoek op 'Buk')
US Army reference cleared for public release, with structured system data. To be assessed as a public-domain source for enrichment.
News archive 8
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«Российская ПВО и опыт Спецоперации: первые успехи» (Topwar: 'Russian air defence and the experience of the Special Operation: first successes')
In the first part of a three-part series, Topwar author Kirill Ryabov reviews the initial phase of Russian air defence in the war against Ukraine from February 2022. Ground Forces air defence carried the main load, with VKS air and missile defence units and naval systems also involved; the article lists the layered Ground Forces structure (S-300V4, Buk-M3,…
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«Удар по ЗРК за $45 млн: «Чорний ліс» уразив російський «Бук-М3»» (ArmyInform: A $45 million strike on a SAM system: 'Chorny Lis' hits a Russian Buk-M3)
According to Ukrainian state outlet ArmyInform, soldiers of the 'Chorny Lis' ('Black Forest') unit of the 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade located and struck a Russian Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system on 13 October 2026. The brigade put the value of the system at around $45 million and released video of the strike. It framed the attack as part of a…
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Су-24, два катери, 40 пунктів управління та десятки засобів ППО, РЛС і РЕБ — результати middle strike за вересень (ArmyInform: Su-24, two boats, 40 command posts and dozens of air-defence, radar and EW assets: results of middle strike for September)
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has published a September tally of its 'middle strike' campaign. According to the ministry, Ukraine's Defence Forces hit more than 30 Russian air-defence, radar and electronic-warfare assets, 40 command posts and more than 50 logistics targets during the month. The report does not define the term or name the Ukrainian units or…
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Ukrainian General Staff claims strikes on Buk-M3 SAM system, Donetsk drone launch site and Bryansk EW station
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says Ukrainian forces carried out several strikes on Russian military assets on 3 October and the night of 3–4 October. They report hitting a Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system near Kuroshany in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and a site near Donetsk used to store, prepare and launch Russian strike UAVs.
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Ukrainian Units Claim Strikes on russian Air Defense: Nemesis Brigade Hits Five Radars and Three SAM Systems, SOF Hit Buk-M3, Radar and Akatsiya (Video)
In two video-backed reports between 1 and 3 October, Defense Express relays Ukrainian claims of drone strikes on Russian air defence assets. According to footage published by the Ukrainian General Staff, Special Operations Forces in Luhansk region used reconnaissance and strike UAVs to find and hit a Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system, a radar station of…
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Сили оборони уразили ЗРК «Бук-М3», РЛС «Небо-У», виробництво БПЛА та пункти управління зс рф
ArmyInform (a Ukrainian military outlet) reports on behalf of the General Staff that on 20 September a Buk-M3 air-defence system near Ukrainka (Zaporizhzhia region), a Nebo-U radar near Balka (Donetsk), a drone-production site in Severodonetsk (Luhansk), a command post near Zoriane and a UAV control centre near Staromykhailivka were struck. The source provi…
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Ukraine Hits russian Buk-M3 System, Nebo-SVU Radar, Drone Base, and 205th Vessel
According to Ukrainian sources (Defense Express, citing statements from Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces / "Madyar's Birds"), Ukrainian units carried out a coordinated multi-domain strike operation reported on 31 July 2026. In Donetsk region (Snizhne), operators from the "Phoenix" border-guard unit struck a Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system while it was…
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Ukrainian Drone Units Destroy russian P-18 Radar and Strike Buk-M3/S-300 Air Defenses Near Kostiantynivka
Defense Express reports two separate Ukrainian drone operations against Russian ground-based air-defense and radar assets. On July 27, Ukraine's 15th Brigade released footage of the destruction of a concealed Russian P-18 Terek radar, a Soviet-era early-warning system that, despite its age, remains in service detecting aircraft. The radar had been positione…