Profile
- Type
- Short- to medium-range surface-to-air missile system
- Conflict side
- Syrian government
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Introduced in the early 1960s; still operated in upgraded and legacy forms
Air Defense
S-125 Neva/Pechora / SA-3 Goa
The S-125 Neva/Pechora, known to NATO as SA-3 Goa, is a Soviet command-guided surface-to-air missile system built to cover lower-altitude targets than earlier S-75 batteries. In the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes archive, it represents Syrian government point air defense reported by Russian officials as taking part in the response to the coalition cruise-missile and standoff-weapon attack.
2018 Syria Missile StrikesSyrian governmentNagorno-Karabakh ConflictAzerbaijanYemen Civil WarHouthi-aligned forces
- Conflict side
- Syrian governmentAzerbaijanHouthi-aligned forces
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- 1961-present in original, modernized, and export variants
- Used by
- Syrian Air Defense Force
- Wars
- 2018 Syria Missile Strikes
Production History
- Designer
- Almaz Central Design Bureau
- Designed
- 1950s
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not publicly standardized
- Produced
- 1960s onward; later modernization programs continue
- Number built
- Not publicly confirmed
- Variants
- S-125 Neva, S-125M Neva-M, S-125M1 Neva-M1, S-125 Pechora, Pechora-2M
Specifications
- Guidance
- Radio-command guidance from SNR-125 Low Blow engagement radar
- Missiles
- V-600/5V24 and V-601/5V27 two-stage solid-fuel surface-to-air missiles
- Engagement range
- About 3.5-18 km for common 5V27 variants; later Pechora upgrades can extend farther
- Engagement altitude
- Low- to medium-altitude envelope, roughly 100 m to 14-18 km depending on missile and upgrade
- Warhead
- Approximately 60-70 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, variant dependent
- Launcher
- Fixed or semi-mobile two-rail 5P71 and four-rail 5P73 launchers, with later mobile upgrade packages
Conflict Usage
- 2018 Syria Missile Strikes
- Side: Syrian governmentRole: Point air defense against cruise-missile strike package
Russian defense officials said Syrian air-defense units fielded S-125 systems among the Soviet-era weapons used to repel the 14 April 2018 U.S., British, and French missile strikes; U.S. officials separately said Syrian surface-to-air missiles did not stop the coalition weapons from hitting their targets.
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Air defense against Armenian UAVs
Azerbaijani forces used Belarusian-upgraded S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM systems during the 2020 war; leaked Tetraedr reporting cited by OCCRP, Buro Media, and Hetq credited the systems with destroying 11 Armenian UAVs.
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Fixed-site air defense around Sanaa
Oryx reported that the first Saudi-led airstrikes in March 2015 focused in part on the single S-125 SAM site around Sanaa and described Yemen's air-defense apparatus as having been taken over by Houthi militants in the preceding months, documenting Houthi-aligned fielding of the legacy site rather than confirmed missile launches.
S-125 Neva/Pechora / SA-3 Goa Images
Related Weapon Systems
2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemThe 2K12 Kub, exported as Kvadrat and known to NATO as SA-6 Gainful, is a Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around 3M9 missiles, 2P25 launch vehicles, and the 1S91 Straight Flush radar. In recent conflict archives it appears as a legacy medium-range air-defense system, including Syrian use during the 2018 missile strikes, Armenian use in Nagorno-Karabakh, and a Houthi SA-6/Kub-family engagement that downed a U.S. MQ-9 over Yemen in 2019.
2K11 Krug / SA-4 GanefTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemThe 2K11 Krug, NATO reporting name SA-4 Ganef, is a Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around 2P24 launchers, 3M8-series missiles, and separate acquisition and guidance radars. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war it appeared on the Armenian and Artsakh side as legacy area air defense, but reporting from CSIS and Oryx shows it was vulnerable in a battlespace dominated by Azerbaijani UAVs and loitering munitions.
CrotaleShort-range surface-to-air missile systemCrotale is a French short-range surface-to-air missile family built around radar and electro-optical target tracking. The Crotale NG variant paired the VT-1 missile with an integrated launcher, search radar, tracking radar, and optical sensors, making it useful for point defense of forces and fixed sites against low-altitude air threats. France supplied Crotale NG systems to Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine War to reinforce layered air defense against Russian missiles, aircraft, helicopters, and drones.
MIM-104 PatriotLong-range surface-to-air and ballistic missile defense systemThe MIM-104 Patriot is a U.S.-origin, truck-mobile air and missile defense system built around phased-array radar, command-and-control vehicles, launchers, and PAC-2 or PAC-3 interceptor families. Its post-2015 combat record includes Ukrainian defense against Russian missile and air attacks, Saudi-led coalition defense against Houthi ballistic missile launches from Yemen, and U.S. Patriot batteries defending Al Udeid Air Base during Iranian retaliation after Operation Midnight Hammer.
MIM-104E Patriot PAC-2 GEM/TPatriot PAC-2 guidance-enhanced interceptor missileThe MIM-104E Patriot PAC-2 GEM/T is a Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical interceptor for the Patriot air and missile defense system. It modernizes the PAC-2 blast-fragmentation missile with seeker and fuze improvements for tactical ballistic missile threats, and CSIS identified it as the bulk interceptor used by Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces in Patriot defenses against Houthi missile launches during the Yemen Civil War.
MIM-23 HAWKMedium-range surface-to-air missile systemThe MIM-23 HAWK is a U.S.-origin medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around radar acquisition, target illumination, and semi-active radar-homing missiles. Developed for mobile low- to medium-altitude air defense and repeatedly upgraded after its 1960 fielding, HAWK returned to operational relevance in Ukraine through donated launchers, refurbished missiles, and sustainment support for air-defense fire units.Sources
Almaz 5V24/5V27/S-125 Neva/Pechora / SA-3 GoaPublisher: Air Power Australia | Note: Supports S-125 background, Almaz design context, low-altitude air-defense role, radar components, and baseline technical characteristics. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3 Goa)Publisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports S-125 specifications including missile dimensions, launch weight, warhead, and Pechora upgrade range data. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Vladimir Putin calls US-led Syria strikes an 'act of aggression'Publisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 2018 Syria Missile Strikes direct use: S-125 systems were fielded by Syrian government air-defense forces during the response to the U.S.-led missile strike, according to a Russian defense ministry official quoted in the report. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Strikes Successful Against Syrian Chemical Weapons, DoD Officials SayPublisher: U.S. Air Force / DoD News | Note: Supports 2018 Syria Missile Strikes context for Syrian surface-to-air missile launches and the U.S. assessment that coalition weapons hit their targets. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Azerbaijan Destroyed Armenian Drones With Belarusian Weapons, Leaked Report SaysPublisher: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct use: Pechora-2TM systems were used by Azerbaijani forces against Armenian UAVs during the 2020 war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Merchants of DeathPublisher: Buro Media | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct use: S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM systems were used by Azerbaijani combat crews in operations that destroyed Armenian UAVs. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudi Aircraft Pound Al-Dailami Airbase In Yemen, Destroying U.S. Delivered AircraftPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use: an S-125 SAM site around Sanaa was fielded by Houthi-aligned forces after Yemen's air-defense apparatus was taken over by Houthi militants and then targeted by Saudi-led airstrikes. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Polish S-125 Neva-Pechora SAM system imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for the primary gallery image of four V-600 missiles on an S-125 quadruple launcher. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-125 Pechora / SA-3 Goa imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse terms for a second gallery image showing S-125 Pechora missiles at the Finnish anti-aircraft museum. | Accessed: 2026-06-20