Associated systems and vehicles
The 9K35 is a SAM system with electro-optical guidance. It has the capability to use radars for target acquisition and range. Some vehicles have a pintle-mounted PKT 7.62 mm machine gun in front of the forward hatch for local protection. Other vehicles have been seen with additional support railings for the system on the rear deck. The following is a list of associated equipment:
- 9A34M2, 9A34M3-K - launcher vehicle with 9S86 "SNAP SHOT" range only radar located between the two pairs of missile canisters on the transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) (maximum radar range is 450 to 10,000 m).
- 9A35M2, 9A35M3-K - launcher vehicle with 9S16 (NATO 'Flat Box-B') passive radar detection system that gives a 360° azimuth and minimum 40° elevation coverage
- 9F624 and 9F624M training simulator
- 9S482M7 Control Post.
- 9U111 - a 1,950 kg trailer-mounted 12 kW generator unit, designed to feed power to up to four 9A35M2, 9A35M3-K or 9A34M2, 9A34M3-K launcher vehicles at a distance of up to 30 m by cable while conducting maintenance or training operations.
- 9V839M - system checkout vehicle
- 9V915M, 9V915M-1 - technical maintenance vehicle
- MT-LBU "DOG EAR" F/G-band target acquisition radar (maximum range 80 km/50 miles)
9K35 Strela-10 Missiles
The 9K35 Strela-10 system was originally designed to use the 9M37 missile as its primary weapon, but its launch system was designed to be also backwards compatible with the 9M31M missile of the earlier 9K31 Strela-1 (SA-9 "Gaskin") system.
Each 9M37 missile is 2.2 m (7.2 ft) long, weighs 40 kg (88 pounds) and carries a 3.5 kg (7-15 pound) warhead. The maximum speed of the missile is near Mach 2, engagement range is from 500...800 to 5000 m (0.3–3 miles) and engagement altitude is between 10 and 3500 m (33-11,500 ft). (The ranges define the zone of target intercept, minimum and maximum launch distances are longer for approaching and shorter for receding targets, depending on the target's speed, altitude and flight direction.)
Four missiles are mounted on the turret in boxes, ready to launch, and eight more are carried inside the vehicle as reloads. Reloading takes around 3 minutes.
The 9M37 was quickly replaced with a slightly improved 9M37M (main improvement was in more efficient autopilot system for missile flight path control), and later the more significantly upgraded 9M333, which introduced:
- heavier warhead of improved expanding-rod design and larger HE content
- new proximity fuzing with 8-ray laser to improve probability of fuzing on near misses of very small targets such as cruise missiles or UAVs
- triple-channel guidance system for more robust countermeasure rejection
- improved engine to provide similar performance despite the slight increase in missile length and weight.
All missiles - 9M31M, 9M37, 9M37M and 9M333 - are equipped with optical homing heads utilizing reticle-based photocontrast and/or infrared homing. References to the multi-channel homing heads of 9M37 and 9M333 missiles are ambiguous regarding the use of such the various channels, and it is unclear whether all channels can be used simultaneously for increased IRCCM robustness, or if a selection of one or the other channel needs to be made prior to launch. 9M333 is said to have particularly good countermeasures resistance due to its triple-channel homing head, while the photocontrast channel of 9M37/9M37M is described as back-up method to the IR channel.
All main variants - Strela-10SV, Strela-10M, Strela-10M2 and Strela-10M3 - can use all aforementioned missile types.
The main characteristics of the missiles are listed in the table below, based on source number, unless otherwise noted. For comparison purposes data for nearest western equivalent, the somewhat larger and heavier MIM-72 Chaparral, is also provided.
| 9K35 Strela-10 (NATO reporting name: SA-13 Gopher) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Vehicle-mounted SAM system |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1979-present |
| Used by | See list of operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | KB Tochmash Design Bureau of Precision Engineering |
| Manufacturer | Saratovskiy Zenit Machine Plant (Muromteplovoz Joint Stock Company for the 9K35M3-K) |
| Produced | 1979 |
| Variants | Strela-10, Strela-10SV (Prototype), Strela-10M, Strela-10M2, Strela-10M3, Strela-10M3-K, Strela-10M4 |
| Specifications (9K35 Strela-10M3) | |
| Weight | 12,300 kg |
| Length | 6.6 m |
| Width | 2.85 m |
| Height | 2.3 m (travelling), 3.8 m (firing) |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner and driver) |
| | |
| Armour | 7 mm |
| Primary armament | 4 x 9M333 (or 9M37MD) |
| Engine | YaMZ-238 V diesel 240 hp |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.7 m |
| Fuel capacity | 450 litres |
| Operational range | 500 km |
| Speed | 61.5 km/h (road) 6 km/h (water) |
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