SA-14 Gremlin
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The 9K34 "Strela-3" (Russian 9К34 "Стрела-3" - arrow, NATO reporting name SA-14 "Gremlin") man-portable air defence missile system (MANPADS) was developed in Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 "Strela-2" (NATO reporting name SA-7 "Grail") system. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela-2, and thus development proceeded rapidly. The new weapon was accepted to service in the Soviet Army in January 1974.
The most significant change was the introduction of an all-new infra-red homing seeker head. The new seeker worked on FM modulation (con-scan) principle, which is less vulnerable to jamming and decoy flares than the earlier AM (spin-scan) seekers, which were easily fooled by flares and even the most primitive infra-red jammers. Most importantly, the new seeker also introduced detector element cooling in the form of a pressurized nitrogen bottle attached to the launcher.
The effect of cooling was to expand the seeker's lead sulphide detector element's sensitivity range to longer wavelengths (slightly over 4 μm as opposed to 2.8 μm of uncooled PbS elements). In practise this made possible the tracking of cooler targets over longer ranges, and enabled forward-hemisphere engagement of jets under favourable circumstances.
The seeker also had better tracking rate, enabling the missile to track maneuvering or fast and approaching targets.
Strela-3 missiles have been exported to over 30 countries.
The original Strela-3 missile was the 9M36. The follow-on to the Strela-3 was Igla.
The naval version of this missile has the NATO reporting name of SA-N-8.
Comparison chart
| System | 9K32M "Strela-2M" (missile: 9M32M) | 9K36 "Strela-3" (missile: 9M36) | FIM-43C "Redeye" |
| Service entry | 1970 | 1974 | 1968 |
| Weight, full system, ready to shoot | 15 kg | 17 kg | 13.3 kg |
| Weight, missile | 9.8 kg | 10.1 kg | 8.3 kg |
| Length | 1.44 m | 1.47 m | 1.40 m |
| Warhead | 1.15 kg (0.37 kg TNT) directed-energy blast fragmentation. | 2 kg (0.39 kg TNT) directed-energy blast fragmentation. A secondary charge sets off remaining propellant | 1.06 kg M222 blast fragmentation |
| Seeker type | AM-modulated (spin scan), uncooled PbS detector element (1-2.8 μm sensitivity range). Tail-chase only. | FM-modulated (con scan), Nitrogen-cooled PbS detector element (2-4.3 μm sensitivity range). Limited forward hemisphere ("all-aspect") capability | AM-modulated, uncooled PbS detector element. Tail-chase only. |
| Maximum range | 4200 m | 4100 m | 4500 m |
| Speed | 500 m/s | 470 m/s | 580 m/s |
| Target's maximum speed, approaching/receding | 150/260 m/s | 310/260 m/s | ? |