Munitions

3M9 surface-to-air missile

Also known as
  • 3M9
  • 3M9 KUB
  • 3M9M
  • 3M9M1
  • 3M9M3
  • 3M9ME
  • 3M9M3E
  • SA-6 Gainful missile
  • Kub missile
  • Kvadrat missile

The 3M9 surface-to-air missile is the Soviet semi-active radar-homing missile family carried by the 2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 Gainful air-defense system. Sourced records identify its ramjet propulsion, 3M9 KUB designation, 2P25 launcher compatibility, and 1S91 radar-guided engagement chain, while transfer reporting directly documents 3M9ME and 3M9M3E missiles supplied or pledged for Ukrainian Kub-M2 launchers during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

3M9 surface-to-air missile, Ramjet-powered surface-to-air missile carried and launched by the 2K12 Kub / SA-6 system, Munitions
Image source: 2P25 TEL with 3 3M9 missiles Artillery museum image

Role in Conflicts

Ukraine Transfer Context

Public transfer records connect the 3M9 family to Ukraine through Slovak Kub-M2 aid rather than through a stand-alone missile procurement. Oryx lists 52 3M9ME and 148 3M9M3E missiles for 2K12M2 Kub-M2 launchers, and European Security & Defence reports the same missile counts in a March 2023 package that also included one 1S91 guidance radar and two 2P25 launchers.

Missile variants

3M9ME and 3M9M3E rounds appear in the documented Ukraine aid package.

System dependency

The missiles were reported together with Kub launcher and radar equipment, matching the 3M9 family's dependence on the complete 2K12 firing chain.

Sources: Slovak Showdown: Slovak Arms Deliveries To Ukraine; Modernising Slovakia's Ground-Based Air Defence.

Launcher Compatibility

The 3M9 missile is documented as part of the Kub firing chain, not as a stand-alone weapon. The missile sits on the 2P25 launch vehicle and depends on Kub radar/control equipment for target illumination and engagement control.

Catalog itemConnectionSource-supported context
2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 Gainful, Tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulParent SAM systemCzech Ministry of Defence data lists the missile type as 3M9 KUB, and GlobalSecurity describes the Kub system as built around radar/control and launch vehicles carrying 3M9-family missiles.
2P25 launch vehicle, Tracked transporter-erector-launcher for three 3M9 missiles, Air Defense2P25 launch vehicleTracked launcherWeaponsystems.net describes the 2P25 launch vehicle as carrying three 3M9 missiles for the Kub system.

Sources: 2K12 M2 KUB - NATO code: SA-6 GAINFUL; 2K12 Kub; SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Ramjet-powered surface-to-air missile carried and launched by the 2K12 Kub / SA-6 system
Service note
Cold War missile family that entered service with the 2K12 Kub in 1967
Designer
Vympel State Machine-Building Design Bureau with Tikhomirov NIIP system and guidance work
Designed
1958-1967 Kub development program
Produced
1967-1983

Specifications

Length
5.8 metres
Launch weight
600 kg
Diameter
0.34 metre
Wingspan
1.245 metres
Maximum speed
About Mach 2.8
Maximum effective range
23-24 km in open Czech and GlobalSecurity references
Effective altitude
GlobalSecurity lists 100 m to 12 km for baseline radar-mode figures, with later M3/M4 data extending lower and higher
Guidance
Semi-active radar homing
Propulsion
Double-stage pulse solid-fuel engine with ramjet sustainer
Warhead
57-59 kg high-explosive fragmentation, depending on source and variant
Launcher load
Three missiles carried on each 2P25 launch vehicle
Missile Architecture

The 3M9 family combined a solid-propellant boost phase with ramjet-sustainer flight and semi-active radar homing. That architecture made the missile dependent on a complete Kub battery for target acquisition, illumination, launch control, and reload support.

Propulsion

A solid boost charge accelerates the missile before the ramjet sustainer carries the engagement at high speed.

Guidance

Semi-active radar homing requires target illumination by the Kub fire-control element during the engagement.

Warhead and fuze

Open technical references describe a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and proximity/contact fuze arrangement.

Sources: 2K12 Kub/Kvadrat Technical Report - Air Power Australia; 2K12 M2 KUB - NATO code: SA-6 GAINFUL; SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity.

Variants

Open references usually describe the missile family through the parent Kub-system modernization sequence: early Kub used 3M9 missiles, Kub-M1 and Kub-M3 introduced improved missile and guidance combinations, and export support records use 3M9ME or 3M9M3E designations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
3M9Baseline Kub missile

GlobalSecurity identifies the initial Kub version as carrying 3M9 missiles; the Czech Ministry of Defence data uses the 3M9 KUB missile designation.

Sources: SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity, 2K12 M2 KUB - NATO code: SA-6 GAINFUL

3M9M / 3M9M1Modernized Kub/Kub-M1 family missiles

Specialist and open technical summaries distinguish 3M9M-series rounds from the baseline missile as the Kub system was modernized in the early 1970s.

Sources: 2K12 Kub/Kvadrat Technical Report - Air Power Australia, SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity

3M9M3Kub-M3 missile

GlobalSecurity identifies Kub-M3 as using 3M9M3 missiles, and Air Power Australia describes the later 3M9M3 seeker as allowing post-launch target acquisition by the missile.

Sources: SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity, 2K12 Kub/Kvadrat Technical Report - Air Power Australia

3M9ME / 3M9M3EExport or donated-service missile designations

Open transfer reporting and Slovak donation records use 3M9ME and 3M9M3E for Kub missiles supplied with Kub launchers and radar equipment.

Sources: Slovak Showdown: Slovak Arms Deliveries To Ukraine, Modernising Slovakia's Ground-Based Air Defence

Integrated System

The 3M9 is the missile element inside a larger Kub firing chain rather than a stand-alone launch system.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 Gainful, Tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulSurface-to-air missile system

Weaponsystems.net and GlobalSecurity describe Kub launch vehicles carrying three 3M9-family missiles as part of the 2K12 Kub / SA-6 system.

Sources: 2K12 Kub, SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity

Launch Vehicle

The 2P25 is the tracked Kub firing vehicle that carries the ready missiles.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
2P25 launch vehicle, Tracked transporter-erector-launcher for three 3M9 missiles, Air Defense2P25 launch vehicleTracked launch vehicle

The 2P25 launch vehicle is the tracked Kub firing vehicle that carries three ready 3M9 missiles.

Sources: 2K12 Kub, SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity

Timeline

3M9 surface-to-air missile Key Events

  1. Kub development ordered

    The Kub system program began under a Soviet government and party resolution that set a mobile air-defense requirement for targets at low and medium altitude.

    Sources: Kub-M3 - National Defence University of Ukraine

  2. Kub enters service

    Open technical references place the original Kub system in service in 1967 with 3M9 missiles carried on tracked launch vehicles.

    Sources: SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity, 2K12 Kub

  3. Kub-M1 modernization

    GlobalSecurity lists Kub-M1 as the 1973 modernization step in the Kub family, with the missile lineage continuing through modernized 3M9-series rounds.

    Sources: SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity

  4. Kub-M3 and 3M9M3 context

    GlobalSecurity identifies Kub-M3 as a 1976 configuration using 3M9M3 missiles, while Air Power Australia describes the later 3M9M3 seeker change in the missile section.

    Sources: SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity, 2K12 Kub/Kvadrat Technical Report - Air Power Australia

  5. Main missile production period ends

    Weaponsystems.net and GlobalSecurity place the end of the main Kub and 3M9-family production period in the early 1980s.

    Sources: 2K12 Kub, SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurity

  6. Slovak Kub missile aid approved

    Transfer reporting documented Slovak aid for Ukraine that included 3M9ME and 3M9M3E missiles for Kub-M2 launchers, with associated launcher and radar equipment.

    Sources: Slovak Showdown: Slovak Arms Deliveries To Ukraine, Modernising Slovakia's Ground-Based Air Defence

Media

3M9 surface-to-air missile Videos

3M9 surface-to-air missile Images

3M9 surface-to-air missile, Ramjet-powered surface-to-air missile carried and launched by the 2K12 Kub / SA-6 system, Munitions - view 1
Source: ZiL-157V with two 3M9 missiles image
Related Weapon Systems
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Sources

2K12 M2 KUB - NATO code: SA-6 GAINFULPublisher: Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic | Note: Supports the 3M9 KUB missile designation and basic technical data including range, guidance, warhead, length, diameter, and weight. | Accessed: 2026-07-072K12 KubPublisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports background on the 3M9 missile family, ramjet propulsion, semi-active radar homing, system composition, and manufacturer/design context. | Accessed: 2026-07-07SA-6 Gainful Specifications - GlobalSecurityPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Kub/3M9 designation context, NIIP and Vympel developer attribution, system composition, 3M9 and 3M9M3 missile compatibility, production chronology, speed, dimensions, range, altitude, guidance, propulsion, and warhead data. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Kub-M3 - National Defence University of UkrainePublisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports the 1958 Kub development order, Tikhomirov NIIP system-development context, Vympel missile-development attribution, missile seeker design context, and Kub-M3 technical background. | Accessed: 2026-07-072K12 Kub/Kvadrat Technical Report - Air Power AustraliaPublisher: Air Power Australia | Note: Specialist technical report supporting 3M9/3M9M family propulsion, seeker, warhead, fuze, post-launch seeker-acquisition context, production scale, export context, and battery component relationships. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Slovak Showdown: Slovak Arms Deliveries To UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports the 3M9ME and 3M9M3E designations and directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by listing Slovak military aid during Russia's invasion of Ukraine that included 52 3M9ME and 148 3M9M3E missiles for 2K12M2 Kub-M2 launchers. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Modernising Slovakia's Ground-Based Air DefencePublisher: European Security & Defence | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by reporting that Slovakia's March 2023 donation to Ukraine included one 1S91 guidance radar, two 2P25 launchers, 52 3M9ME missiles, and 148 3M9M3E missiles for the 2K12 Kub system. | Accessed: 2026-07-07SURN CZ modernization of 2K12 KUBPublisher: RETIA | Note: Supports modernized Kub-system context around the SURN radar/control vehicle, 2P25 SPU launchers, and replacement of legacy 3M9 missiles in upgraded configurations. | Accessed: 2026-07-072P25 TEL with 3 3M9 missiles Artillery museum imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a public-domain photograph showing a 2P25 launcher with three 3M9 missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-07ZiL-157V with two 3M9 missiles imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a public-domain photograph showing 3M9 missiles on a Kub transporter vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-07