The 9M38M1 is a Soviet Buk-family medium-range surface-to-air missile developed by Novator for the Buk-M1 / SA-11 Gadfly system. It uses semi-active radar homing and a 70 kg fragmentation warhead, remains compatible with later Buk launchers such as the Buk-M2E, and is documented in MH17 investigations as part of the 9M38-series Buk missile evidence from the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
The Dutch-led JIT says flight MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine by a Buk missile from the 9M38 series launched from a TELAR moved from Russia to separatist-controlled Pervomaiskyi; a Council of Europe report described the OVV finding as a 9M38M1-type missile with a 9N314M warhead.
Role detailsThe public investigation record is strongest when it is read as a combined Buk-family forensic and launch-chain finding. The JIT identifies a 9M38-series Buk missile and TELAR route, while the Council of Europe report describes the OVV finding as a 9M38M1-type missile with a 9N314M-type warhead.
The Dutch Safety Board identified a 9N314M warhead launched by a Buk surface-to-air missile system; PACE's accountability report narrows that description to a 9M38M1-type surface-to-air missile.
The JIT says the TELAR was moved from Russia to a farm field near Pervomaiskyi in eastern Ukraine, then returned to Russia with one missile missing.
The compact conflict row keeps the official 9M38-series wording because the JIT source states the missile family while the PACE report supplies the 9M38M1-type description.
Source labels used here: JIT MH17 Criminal Investigation; Dutch Safety Board MH17 Buk Finding; PACE Accountability for MH17 Report.
The 9M38M1 sits in the 9M38 Buk missile line: it is not the same as the original 9M38 round, and the later 9M317/9M317E family belongs to the Buk-M1-2/Buk-M2 generation that followed it.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9M38 | Original 9K37 Buk missile | Missilery.info identifies the 9M38 as the original Buk missile developed by Novator, with the same 5.55 m length and 0.4 m body diameter class but a different 9E50 seeker lineage from the later 9M38M1. Sources: 9K37 Buk - Missilery.info, APA 9K37 Buk |
 | Later Buk-M1-2/Buk-M2 family missile | Missilery.info describes the 9M317 as used to complete Buk-M1-2 and Buk-M2E systems, with a 9E420 semi-active Doppler radar seeker and a larger engagement envelope than the 9M38M1 generation. Sources: 9K317 Buk-M2 - Missilery.info |
| Export Buk-M2E missile designation | Army Recognition identifies 9M317E as the Buk-M2E missile context and separately notes backward compatibility with older 9M38M1 missiles; Rosoboronexport provides the official Buk-M2E export-system envelope. Sources: Buk-M2E - Rosoboronexport, Buk-M2E - Army Recognition |
Army Recognition says the Buk-M2E export system retains backward compatibility with 9M38M1 missiles used in earlier Buk models.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system | Army Recognition says the Buk-M2E export system retains backward compatibility with 9M38M1 missiles used in earlier Buk models. Sources: Buk-M2E - Army Recognition |
The useful distinction is missile-level: 9M38M1 belongs to the older 9M38 Buk line, while 9M317 and 9M317E are later Buk-M1-2/Buk-M2 family missiles.
| Designation | Missile context | Reader note |
|---|---|---|
| 9M38 | Original Buk missile developed by Novator for the 9K37 family. | Missilery.info gives the baseline dimensions and semi-active homing layout; Air Power Australia distinguishes the 9E50 seeker from the later 9E50M1. |
| 9M38M1 | Buk-M1 generation missile with the 9E50M1 seeker and 70 kg fragmentation warhead. | Dutch Safety Board consultation material states that the 9N314M warhead uses the 9M38M1 missile and notes Buk-M1/Buk-M1-2 launch compatibility. |
| 9M317 / 9M317E | Later Buk-M1-2/Buk-M2 missile family with a 9E420 semi-active Doppler radar seeker in open Buk-M2 references. | Use the linked 9M317 records for the newer family rather than reading those figures back into the 9M38M1. |
Sources: 9K37 Buk - Missilery.info; 9K37 Buk-M1 - Missilery.info; 9K317 Buk-M2 - Missilery.info; MH17 Crash Appendix V - Dutch Safety Board; APA 9K37 Buk.
The 9M38M1 is documented through earlier Buk-M1 firing vehicles and later Buk-M2E backward compatibility, while later 9M317-family missiles occupy the Buk-M1-2 and Buk-M2E branch of the same system lineage.
| System or missile | Relationship | Documented connection |
|---|---|---|
| Buk-M1 / 9K37 | Original launch system | Army Recognition identifies the Buk-M1 / SA-11 system as able to fire 9M38 and 9M38M1 missiles and describes the launcher-radar vehicle with four missiles. |
| 9A310M1 TELAR | Launcher-radar vehicle | Air Power Australia lists the 9A310M1 TELAR as the Buk-M1 firing vehicle with the improved Fire Dome radar. |
| Backward-compatible later system | Army Recognition says Buk-M2E is primarily armed with 9M317E missiles but retains backward compatibility with legacy 9M38M1 missiles used in earlier Buk models. |
| Later missile family | Missilery.info and Army Recognition place the later 9M317-family missiles in Buk-M1-2 and Buk-M2E contexts, separate from the 9M38M1 legacy compatibility note. |
Sources: SA-11 Gadfly 9K37 Buk-M1; APA 9K37 Buk; Buk-M2E - Army Recognition; 9K317 Buk-M2 - Missilery.info.
Missilery.info describes the January 13, 1972 decree that started Buk development and set a unified missile path with the M-22 Uragan naval system; the same source identifies Novator as responsible for 9M38 missile development.
Sources: 9K37 Buk - Missilery.info
Missilery.info dates the Buk-M1 modernization decree to November 30, 1979 and lists 9M38M1 missiles in the Buk-M1 system composition.
Sources: 9K37 Buk-M1 - Missilery.info
Missilery.info places Buk-M1 tests from February to December 1982 at the Emba range before the upgraded system entered service.
Sources: 9K37 Buk-M1 - Missilery.info
Missilery.info says Buk-M1 was adopted by Army Air Defense Forces in 1983 and that serial production was established with the same industrial cooperation that produced the earlier Buk system.
Sources: 9K37 Buk-M1 - Missilery.info
Missilery.info describes the Buk-M2 generation as intended to replace older Buk systems and says modern 9K317 Buk-M2 serial production began in 2008, giving context for the later 9M317 family listed beside the 9M38M1.
Sources: 9K317 Buk-M2 - Missilery.info
Dutch and Joint Investigation Team sources tied the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to a Buk missile from the 9M38 series, with the Council of Europe report describing the OVV finding as a 9M38M1-type missile carrying a 9N314M-type warhead.
Sources: JIT MH17 Criminal Investigation, Dutch Safety Board MH17 Buk Finding, PACE Accountability for MH17 Report
