Surface-to-air missile - Definition and Overview

A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft.

SAMs can be deployed from fixed installations or mobile launchers. The smallest SAMs are capable of being carried and launched by a single person.

Radar-guided SAMs

• Akash Missile - India
• Aster - United Kingdom
• Bloodhound - United Kingdom
• CLAWS
• HUMRAAM (this is a ground-launched version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM AAM)
• MIM-23 Hawk - United States
• MIM-72 Chaparral FAADS
• MIM-104 Patriot - United States
• BAe Blindfire Rapier - United Kingdom
• MEADS - US/Germany/Italy
• SA-1 'Guild' - Russia
• SA-2 'Guideline' - Russia
• SA-3 'Goa' - Russia
• SA-4 'Ganef' - Russia
• SA-5 'Gammon' - Russia
• SA-6 'Gainful' - Russia
• SA-8 'Gecko - Russia
• SA-10 'Grumble' - Russia
• SA-11 'Gadfly' - Russia
• SA-12A 'Gladiator'/SA-12B 'Giant' - Russia
• SA-15 'Gauntlet' - Russia
• SA-17 'Grizzly' - Russia
• SA-19 'Grisom' - Russia
• SA-20 'Triumf' - Russia
• Trishul missile - India
• Hongqi-9 - People's Republic of China

There are different types of radar guidance:

• Patriot, SA-10, SA-12 and SA-20 utilise track-via-missile radar guidance.
• SA-1, SA-2, SA-3, SA-6 and SA-15 utilise radar command guidance.
• SA-5 utilises radar command guidance with terminal active radar homing.
• SA-4, SA-11 and SA-17 utilise radar command guidance with terminal semi-active radar homing.
• SA-8 utilises semi-autonomous command line-of-sight guidance (SACLOS).

IR-guided SAMs

• FIM-43 Redeye - United States
• Chaparral - United States (this is a ground-launched version of the AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM)
• FIM-92 Stinger - United States
• Mistral - France
• RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile - United States (this missile is a derivative of the AIM-9 Sidewinder and the FIM-92 Stinger).
• SA-7 'Grail' - Russia
• SA-9 'Gaskin - Russia
• SA-13 'Gopher' - Russia
• SA-14 'Gremlin' - Russia
• SA-16 'Gimlet' - Russia
• SA-18 'Grouse' - Russia
• Igla - Russia
• Anza - Pakistan
• Hongqi-7 - People's Republic of China

Laser-guided SAMS

• RBS-70 - Sweden
• Starstreak Close Air Defence Missile - United Kingdom

Visually-guided SAMS

• Blowpipe - United Kingdom
• Crotale - France
• Javelin - United Kingdom
• Rapier - United Kingdom

See also:

• Missile guidance
• List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-air missiles

External links

• Rest-of-World Missile Systems (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/) from the Federation of American Scientists website