SA-7 Grail

9K32 Strela-2 SA-7 Grail
KBM Kolomna 9K32 Strela-2 missile and canister
Type	Man portable surface-to-air missile launcher
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1968–present
Used by	See operators
Production history
Designer	KBM (Kolomna)
Designed	c. 1964
Variants	See versions
Specifications
Weight	9.8 kg (21.6 lb) (Strela-2M missile) 15 kg (33.1 lb) (system, ready to fire)
Length	1.44 m
Diameter	72 mm
Maximum firing range	3700 m (Strela-2) 4200m (Strela-2M)
Warhead weight	1.15 kg directed-energy blast fragmentation warhead (Strela-2M), 370g HE content.
Detonation mechanism	non-delay impact and grazing fuzes, 14–17 second delay self-destruct.
Wingspan	0.3 m
Flight altitude	50–1500 m (Strela-2) 50–2300 m (Strela-2M)
Speed	430 m/s (Strela-2) 500 m/s (Strela-2M)
Guidance system	Proportional navigation logic

3700 m (Strela-2)

The 9K32 Strela-2 (Russian: Cтрела, "arrow"; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system (MANPADS) with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance. Broadly comparable in performance with the US Army FIM-43 Redeye, it was the first generation of Soviet man-portable SAMs, entering service in 1968, with series production starting in 1970.

Described by one expert as being "the premier Russian export line", the Strela and its variants have seen widespread use in nearly every regional conflict since 1968.

The end of World War II saw a major shift in Soviet defense policy. The advent of long range, high altitude, nuclear-armed American bombers, capable of penetrating Soviet airspace at heights and speeds unreachable and unmatchable by anti-aircraft guns and most interceptors, appeared to render every conventional weapon obsolete at a stroke. Numerous long-range, high-altitude SAM systems, such as the SA-1 "Guild" and SA-2 "Guideline", were rapidly developed and fielded to counter this large vulnerability. Due to the apparent "obsolescence" of conventional arms, however, relatively little development took place to field mobile battlefield air defenses.

This direction was soon changed with the beginning of the Korean War. An entirely conventional conflict, it proved that nuclear weapons were not the be-all and end-all of warfare. In the face of a powerful and modern American air force, carrying non-nuclear payloads, the Soviet Union invested heavily in a multi-tier air defense system, consisting of several new mobile SAMs, to cover all altitude ranges and protect ground forces. The new doctrine listed five requirements:

Both Strela-1 and Strela-2 were initially intended to be man-portable systems. As the Strela-2 proved to be a considerably smaller and lighter package, however, the role of the Strela-1 was changed, becoming a heavier, vehicle-mounted system with increased range and performance to better support the ZSU-23-4 in the regimental air defense role.