9M32 Strela-2 / SA-7 MANPADS

Conflict Usage

Israel-Hamas War

Side: HamasRole: Shoulder-fired air-defense threatair defense

During the Israel-Hamas War, AP-reviewed body-camera imagery showed Hamas fighters carrying and firing the Russian-designed 9M32 Strela-2 at Israeli aircraft.

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Side: Armenia / ArtsakhRole: Short-range air defense materielair defense

Azerbaijan's official postwar accounting said its forces seized six Strela-2 portable air-defense systems and launchers including Strela-2 from Armenian / Artsakh forces after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war; this documents fielded MANPADS materiel, not a confirmed launch.

9M32 Strela-2 / SA-7 MANPADS Images

Related Weapon Systems

Air DefenseIglaMan-portable infrared-homing surface-to-air missile systemThe Igla family is a Soviet/Russian shoulder-fired MANPADS built to give small air-defense teams a mobile, infrared-guided weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian units have used legacy Igla launchers alongside newer Western MANPADS as part of dispersed short-range air defense and mobile fire-group coverage.

Air DefenseSA-14 Strela-3 MANPADSMan-portable infrared surface-to-air missile systemThe SA-14 Strela-3, Soviet designation 9K34, is a shoulder-fired infrared MANPADS developed as an improved successor to the Strela-2. In the Nagorno-Karabakh context, open-source arms-transfer reporting places Strela-3 launchers in Azerbaijan's inventory before the 2020 war, making it part of the legacy short-range air-defense layer even where specific firing claims are not documented.

Air Defense9K333 VerbaMan-portable air-defense system (MANPADS)The 9K333 Verba is a Russian shoulder-fired short-range surface-to-air missile system built around the 9M336 missile and a passive three-spectral thermal seeker. It is intended to engage low-flying aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft, and cruise missiles, giving Russian small units a portable air-defense option in the Russia-Ukraine War.

Air DefenseMisagh-2 MANPADSMan-portable infrared-guided surface-to-air missileThe Misagh-2 is an Iranian shoulder-fired MANPADS associated with the Chinese QW-series design line. In the Yemen Civil War, specialist open-source reporting has identified Misagh-2 systems in Houthi-aligned possession, giving small units a portable short-range threat to helicopters, UAVs, and other low-flying aircraft.

Air DefensePPZR GromMan-portable air-defense systemPPZR Grom is a Polish shoulder-fired infrared surface-to-air missile system built by MESKO for short-range defense against visually acquired aircraft, helicopters, and other infrared-emitting targets. In the Russia-Ukraine War context, open-source arms researchers documented a Grom launcher tube reportedly seized from pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, making the entry a recovered-conflict-system record rather than a confirmed Ukrainian-operated aid item.

Air DefenseAN/TWQ-1 AvengerSelf-propelled short-range air defense systemThe AN/TWQ-1 Avenger is a Boeing-developed short-range air defense system that mounts a stabilized turret with Stinger missile pods and an M3P .50 caliber machine gun on a HMMWV chassis. In Ukrainian service it adds a mobile, point-defense layer against drones, helicopters, low-flying aircraft, and cruise-missile threats during the Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources