Has an SA-7 ever hit anything besides the ground?!
Talk about a worthless air-defense weapon...
Posted on 02/15/2005 8:48:44 PM PST by fidelio
The Mexican Attorney General's office thinks the "Zetas" gang (ex-army commandos and the muscle of the Gulf Drug Cartel) may have come into possession of the SA-7 Grail missile.
Has an SA-7 ever hit anything besides the ground?!
Talk about a worthless air-defense weapon...
Flight 800 over Long Island.
Great reason to send in SpecterAC-130
Not with an SA-7.
The SA-7 GRAIL (Strela-2) man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude SAM system is similar to the US Army REDEYE, with a high explsive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance. The HN-5 ( Hong Nu = Red Cherry ) is an improved Chinese version with upgraded capabilities. The SA-7 was the first generation of Soviet man portable surface-to-air missiles. Although classed as "fire and forget" types, the missiles were easily overcome by solar heat and, when used in hilly terrain, by heat from the ground.The SA-7 seeker is fitted with a filter to reduce the effectiveness of decoying flares and to block IR emissions. The system consists of the missile (9K32 & 9K32M), a reloadable gripstock (9P54 & 9P54M), and a thermal battery (9B17). An identification friend or foe (IFF) system can be fitted to the operators helmet. Further, a supplementary early warning system consisting of a passive RF antenna and headphones can be used to provide early cue about the approach and rough direction of an enemy aircraft. Although the SA-7 is limited in range, speed, and altitude, it forces enemy pilots to fly above minimum radar limitations which results in detection and vulnerability to regimental and divisional air defense systems.
The SA-7a (9K32 Strela-2) was introduced for service in 1968, but was soon replaced by the SA-7b (9K32M Strela-2M) which became the most common production model. The SA-7b, differs from the SA-7a primarily by using a boosted propellant charge to increase range and speed. The SA-7a had a slant range of 3.6 km and a kill zone between 15 and 1500 meters in altitude, with a speed of about 430 meters per second (Mach 1.4). The SA-7b has a slant range of about 4.2 km, a ceiling of about 2300 meters, and a speed of about 500 meters per second (Mach 1.75). Both the SA-7a and SA-7b are tail-chase missile systems, and its effectiveness depends on its ability to lock onto the heat source of low-flying fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft targets.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-7.htm
Look at the stats BELOW the article.
MAX ALT: 4500M= 14764 FT / TW800 was at/under FL130.
Also have you seen [and heard] the many other ATP reports and controller tapes of "flares/missiles/rockets/fireworks" at/above this altitude in the SAME area coming from the ground/ocean and barely missing their aircraft on multiple occasions?
Call me a conspiracy theorist. I am a pilot and when multiple airline pilots see the same "flare/missile" they know what they're seeing...especially when many are in the National Guard.
Yikes. where were these "flares" seen?
I too am a pilot, and what I said was that an "SA-7" missile didn't take out TWA 800...there are lots of other types of missiles, however, that had the altitude to so do.
Understood. Thanks for the clarification! IMO it was a missile..I just don't know what type. But someone else knows I'm sure.
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