Profile
- Type
- Long-range surface-to-air missile system
- Conflict side
- Syrian government
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design with continued Syrian service in 2018
Air Defense
S-200 / SA-5 Gammon
The S-200, known to NATO as the SA-5 Gammon, is a Soviet long-range, static surface-to-air missile system built around large radar-guided interceptors. In the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes archive it represents the Syrian government's older long-range air-defense layer, which Russian accounts said was fired during the coalition strike while U.S. officials assessed the broader Syrian SAM response as ineffective.
- Conflict side
- Syrian government
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- 1967-present
- Used by
- Syrian Arab Air Defense Force
- Wars
- 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Syrian Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- KB-1 / Almaz Central Design Bureau; Fakel Design Bureau
- Designed
- 1950s-1960s
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not publicly established
- Produced
- 1960s-1980s
- Number built
- About 2,030 Soviet launchers deployed at peak according to CSIS
- Variants
- S-200A Angara, S-200V Vega, S-200VE Vega-E, S-200D Dubna
Specifications
- Missile length
- About 10.7 m
- Launch weight
- About 7,000 kg
- Range
- 60-300 km depending on variant
- Warhead
- About 217 kg high-explosive fragmentation, with nuclear-capable variants
- Guidance
- Command guidance with semi-active radar homing terminal phase
- Battery layout
- Typically six semi-fixed single-rail launchers with acquisition and Square Pair guidance radars
Conflict Usage
- 2018 Syria Missile Strikes
- Side: Syrian governmentRole: Long-range air-defense interception attempt
Russian officials said Syrian government air defenses used S-200 systems, alongside other Soviet- and Russian-made SAMs, to repel the April 2018 U.S., British, and French missile strikes; U.S. officials assessed Syrian surface-to-air missile launches as ineffective and said no coalition aircraft or missiles were successfully engaged.
S-200 / SA-5 Gammon Images
Related Weapon Systems
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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.Sources
S-200 (SA-5 Gammon)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports system background, Syrian possession context, variants, service dates, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-200 SA-5 Gammon - ProgramPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports manufacturer and design background for KB-1 / Almaz and Fakel Design Bureau development roles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-200 SA-5 GammonPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports additional technical specifications for missile size, radar components, range, altitude, and warhead. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Russian General's Claim of 71 Missiles Downed Countered by Experts, EvidencePublisher: Voice of America | Note: Supports 2018 Syria Missile Strikes direct-use context: Russian Defense Ministry claims said S-200 systems were used by Syrian air defenses during the coalition missile strikes, while the interception numbers were disputed. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Russia Claims Syria Air Defences Shot Down 71 of 103 MissilesPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 2018 Syria Missile Strikes direct-use context: Moscow said S-200 systems were used by Syrian forces to repel the attack, while the Pentagon denied the claimed effectiveness. | Accessed: 2026-06-20DoD Syria Strike BriefingPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports the caveat that U.S. officials assessed Syrian surface-to-air missile launches during the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes as ineffective and not successful against coalition aircraft or missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-200 Missile ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary S-200 missile image, licensed CC BY 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-200WAE Wega ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an S-200 Wega / SA-5 Gammon display image, licensed CC BY 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20S-200 01 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an S-200 antiaircraft missile display image, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike options. | Accessed: 2026-06-20