MANPADS
SA-7 Grail
9K32 Strela-2 / 9K32M Strela-2M
Medium
RU
Man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS), first generation
The first Soviet MANPADS (1968) and still one of the most widespread air-defence weapons in the world. Its uncooled infrared seeker only sees the hot exhaust, so it can only attack a jet from behind and is easily decoyed by flares and sunlight. It remains dangerous to helicopters, transport aircraft and drones during take-off and landing. Many copies: HN-5 (China), Ayn al-Saqr (Egypt), Anza Mk-I (Pakistan), Hwasung-Chong (North Korea).
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- 9M32M: 1.44 m × Ø 72 mm, span 0.3 m; 9.8 kg
- System
- 15 kg ready to fire
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; WEG (ODIN)
General
- Role
- Last layer, man-portable
- Manufacturer
- KBM (Kolomna)
- In service
- 1968 (Strela-2); 1970 (Strela-2M, SA-7b)
- Copies
- HN-5 (CN), Ayn al-Saqr (EG), Anza Mk-I (PK), CA-94 (RO), Hwasung-Chong (KP)
- System weight
- 15 kg; missile 9.8 kg, length 1.44 m
Weapon
- Missile
- 9M32 (Strela-2) / 9M32M (Strela-2M)
- Guidance
- Infrared, uncooled PbS seeker — tail-chase only
- Range
- ≈ 0.4 NM (min) – 2.0 NM (Strela-2) / 2.3 NM (Strela-2M)
- Altitude
- ≈ 160 ft – 4,900 ft (Strela-2) / 7,550 ft (Strela-2M)
- Speed
- 430 m/s (Strela-2) / 500 m/s (Strela-2M)
- Warhead
- 1.15 kg blast-fragmentation (370 g explosive), impact fuze
Warning & threat
- RWR
- No — passive; only a MAWS sees the launch
- Combat record
- Yom Kippur War (4,356 fired, 2–4 kills), Afghanistan (42 helicopters and 5 aircraft downed), Sinai 2014; Germany supplied Ukraine with 500 Strela-2s in 2022
- Countermeasure
- Altitude, flares (very effective), avoid sun/hot terrain backgrounds, steep approach
- Threat level
- Medium — outdated, but found everywhere
News archive 0
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
No reports linked yet.