Profile
- Type
- Man-portable infrared surface-to-air missile system
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Entered Soviet service in 1974; retained in legacy inventories during the 2020 conflict era
Air Defense
SA-14 Strela-3 MANPADS
The 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.
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
Service History
- In service
- 1974-present in various inventories
- Used by
- Azerbaijani Armed Forces
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Kolomna Machine-Building Design Bureau
- Designed
- Late 1960s to early 1970s
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
- Unit cost
- Not publicly standardized
- Produced
- 1970s onward
- Number built
- Not publicly confirmed
- Variants
- 9K34 Strela-3, 9M36 missile, SA-N-8 naval variant
Specifications
- Crew
- 1 operator
- Missile
- 9M36 / 9M36-1 infrared-guided surface-to-air missile
- Guidance
- Passive infrared homing seeker with cooled detector
- Maximum range
- About 4.1-4.5 km
- Engagement altitude
- Up to about 2.3-3.0 km depending on target profile
- Ready-to-fire weight
- About 16 kg
- Warhead
- About 1.17 kg blast-fragmentation warhead
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Short-range point air defense inventory
Azerbaijan had Ukrainian-delivered Strela-3 MANPADS in its air-defense inventory before the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war; available open sources support delivery and fielding context rather than a documented missile firing.
Related Weapon Systems
9M32 Strela-2 / SA-7 MANPADSMan-portable surface-to-air missile systemThe 9M32 Strela-2, NATO SA-7 Grail, is a Soviet MANPADS documented in Hamas hands during the Israel-Hamas War, where AP imagery showed fighters carrying and firing it against Israeli aircraft.
IglaMan-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.
9K333 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.
Misagh-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.
PPZR 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.
AN/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
Three Decades of Arms Supplies to Armenia and AzerbaijanPublisher: EVN Report | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict context: reports that Strela-3 MANPADS were delivered to Azerbaijan before the 2020 war and frames the transfer within Armenia-Azerbaijan arms supplies. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Known and Unknown Arms Suppliers of AzerbaijanPublisher: FIP.am | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict context: lists Strela-3 air-defense missile systems supplied to Azerbaijan, corroborating delivery to the Azerbaijani side. | Accessed: 2026-06-20SA-14 Gremlin 9K34 Strela-3Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports system background, MANPADS classification, service-entry context, seeker description, and core specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20SA-14 / 9K34 Strela-3Publisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports KBM manufacturer attribution, Soviet origin, 1974 service entry, and general system background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20SA-14 Missile and Launch TubePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the public-domain U.S. Navy image used as the primary SA-14 Strela-3 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20