Original Item. Only One Available. This example is totally inert and incapable of firing, it is a training device and was never intended for live fire use. It is totally inert and further deactivated in accordance with guidelines provided by the ATF and cannot be converted to function making it legal to possess within the United States. This item is not available for export.

The 9K32 Strela-2 (NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile or MANPADS system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared-homing guidance and destroy them with a high-explosive warhead. The Strela-2 was a staple of the Cold War and was produced in huge numbers for the Soviet Union and their allies, as well as revolutionary movements. Though since surpassed by more modern systems, the Strela and its variants remain in service in many countries, and have seen use in nearly every regional conflict since 1972.

This is a tremendous example of a U.S. manufactured familiarization model of the SA-7 Grail, built for training purposes in order to teach U.S. soldiers about foreign technology. This example comes with a gorgeous dummy missile with a correct glass tip. The set appears to be made from rubber and metal, with the launcher painted entirely green.

The launcher has a variety of markings including G-16a, Kn 1-2c, and C-9g. The launcher measures 57½” long and comes with an original period sling. The dummy missile has a correct rounded glass tip but is not built with a tail fin assembly, but has a piece that plugs into the bottom. The missile measures roughly 51” without the piece on the bottom.

The original sling makes for a good display. There may be pieces missing, but we have no reference for what these trainers originally looked like, so we are unsure. A great example for display purposes! Comes ready for further research and display.

The end of World War II led to a major shift in Soviet defence policy. The advent of long range, high altitude, nuclear-armed American bombers, capable of penetrating Soviet airspace at heights and speeds unreachable and unmatchable by anti-aircraft guns and most interceptors, appeared to render every conventional weapon obsolete at a stroke. Numerous long-range, high-altitude SAM systems, such as the S-25 Berkut and S-75 Dvina, were rapidly developed and fielded to counter this large vulnerability. Due to the apparent obsolescence of conventional arms, however, relatively little development took place to field mobile battlefield air defences.

This direction was soon changed with the beginning of the Korean War. An entirely conventional conflict, it proved that nuclear weapons were not the be-all and end-all of warfare. In the face of a powerful and modern American air force, carrying non-nuclear payloads, the Soviet Union invested heavily in a multi-tier air defence system, consisting of several new mobile SAMs, to cover all altitude ranges and protect ground forces.

Both Strela-1 and Strela-2 were initially intended to be man-portable systems. As the Strela-2 proved to be a considerably smaller and lighter package, however, the role of the Strela-1 was changed, becoming a heavier, vehicle-mounted system with increased range and performance to better support the ZSU-23-4 in the regimental air defense role.

SA-7a components. It is best distinguished by the squarish gripstock.
As development began in the Turopov OKB (later changed to Kolomna), detailed information on the design of the US FIM-43 Redeye became available. While it was not a reverse-engineered copy, in many ways the Strela design borrowed heavily from the Redeye, which had started development a few years earlier. Due to the comparatively primitive Soviet technical base, development was protracted, and many problems arose, especially in designing a sufficiently small seeker head and rocket. Eventually, the designers settled for a simpler seeker head than that of the Redeye, allowing the initial version, the 9K32 "Strela-2" (US DoD designation SA-7A, missile round 9M32) to finally enter service in 1968, five years behind schedule. At the time, it was described by one expert as being "the premier Russian export line".