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SA-8 (Gecko) / 9K33 OSA

1972 COLD WAR MODERN

History

Ultimately, in response to the increasingly capable, maneuverable, low-flying aircraft that appeared in the West during the Cold War, the Soviet military developed and adopted the 9K33 "Osa" ("Wasp"), an autonomous type, amphibious surface aircraft with wheel-to-air missile (SAM) vehicles. After confirming its existence, NATO named it "SA-8", codenamed "Gecko". Design work at the NII-20 Institute spanned from 1965 to the early 1970s, with the system officially entering service in 1971 (present - 2014). The SA-8 has proven itself as a veteran, serving and serving in the Lebanese Civil War (1982), Angola Civil War (1975-2002), Gulf War (1991), South Ossetia War (2008) and Libyan Civil War (2011) Syrian Civil War (since 2011).

It is estimated that around 1,200 units were produced, with several notable variants appearing.

The 19-ton facility has a vehicle section with a barrel measuring 9 meters long, 2.75 meters wide and 4.2 meters high. A typical operations team consists of five people. The vehicle consists of a lightly armored hull on a 6x6 wheeled chassis.

The chassis supports off-road travel, while the hull allows for amphibious traversal, and then fits nicely into established Soviet ground warfare doctrine (mostly formed during World War II operations decades ago). Equipped with a 300 hp D20K300 diesel engine, the vehicle can achieve a range of up to 500 km and a road speed of nearly 80 km/h. In water, the vehicle's pedestrian speed is 8 km/h. The cab is forward as usual, the launch vehicle components are located at the rear of the vehicle, and the radar elements are mounted on the front center mass. The six wheels, three on one side of the hull, are large and well-spaced for good balance, while the overall hull shape is fairly flat, presenting a smaller target along the horizon.

The mobile launcher unit houses two sets of three short-range missile launch tubes (six missiles in total), arranged side by side - the launcher separates the radar unit in the middle.

The preferred series of missiles became the "9M33" brand, a weapon weighing 170 kg and measuring over 10 feet in length. It has a diameter of 210mm, while the warhead contains a High Explosive Fragmentation Fragmentation (HI-FRAG) payload with contact and proximity charges. Propulsion is provided by solid rocket boosters, supplemented by a dual-thrust rocket control and guidance system for fine-tuning.

The rocket reached an altitude of 39,000 feet and a range of more than 9 miles at more than 1,000 meters per second.

Like other Soviet-backed Cold War weapon systems, the SA-8 entered the inventory of many Soviet-backed nations, nations, and allies. The list includes Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia (later Czech Republic), East Germany (partly sold to Greece after reunification), Ecuador, Georgia, Greece (from Germany), India, Jordan , Libya, Poland, Romania, Syria, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. This type was also used in Kuwait, where many were captured during the Iraqi invasion of 1990 - now they belong to Iraq's defense stockpile.

The Czechoslovak model was incorporated into the Czech Republic's new defense network, but was eventually phased out in 2006. Likewise, Soviet SA-8s were incorporated into the new Russian Army, but these have been modernized to defend against new air threatsabout 400 probably still in active inventory.

Versions in Belarus, Poland and Jordan have followed suit, completing local modernizations to counter emerging regional threats.

The SA-8 has seen various official markings over its long and continuing service career. 9K33 - the name given to the original incarnation by the Soviet Union - is a 1972 model designated SA-8A by NATO. The 9K33M is the naval version, which NATO refers to as SA-N-4.

In 1975, a new missile was deployed on the 9K33M2, designated SA-8B "Gecko Mod-0" by NATO. The 9K33M3 appeared in 1980 with upgraded missiles and an improved combat area, and NATO designated it SA-8B "Gecko Mod-1". The export version is known by the local name "Romb".

9K33-1T is an upgraded version of Belarus. Osa-AKM-P1 is a Polish method.

The last active use of this SAM vehicle was in the ongoing Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 as an offshoot of the Arab Spring following the 2010 revolutions.