The Igla-S allows a single operator to confront aerial threats within seconds and retreat without guiding the missile, creating a mobile defense network that stretches from mountains to cities.
In a high-impact geopolitical announcement, President Nicolás Maduro revealed that Venezuela is armed with over 5,000 Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles deployed throughout the country.
This Russian system, regarded as one of the deadliest in its class, signifies a qualitative leap in Venezuelan defensive capabilities, enabling a single operator to effectively neutralize modern aircraft.
🎯 Advanced design: precision and power
The 9K338 Igla-S (NATO: SA-24 Grinch), developed by KBM and in service since 2008, represents the most sophisticated version of the Russian portable missile family. Its technical evolution positions it as a reference MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense System).
Main features:
– Missile weight: 11.7 kg
– Length: 1.63 m
– Range: up to 6 km
– Maximum altitude: 3,500 m
– Speed: 1,440 km/h (Mach 1.9)
– Warhead: 2.5 kg of high explosive
– Guidance: Improved passive infrared
🚀 “Shoot and forget”: tactical advantage
Its “shoot and forget” capability allows the operator to launch the missile after acquiring the thermal target and retreat immediately. This feature reduces exposure in combat and enables rapid reactions to aerial threats, with response times of just 5 to 10 seconds.
🔍 Thermal signature: acquisition in all aspect
The dual-band passive infrared seeker detects heat without emitting signals, making it harder for the target to realize it is under attack. Unlike previous versions, the Igla-S can acquire targets from any angle—front, side, or rear—thanks to its thermal reading capability of the fuselage heated by atmospheric friction.
⚡ Countermeasures: intelligence against decoys
Against flares and thermal decoys, the Igla-S employs spectral processing logic to distinguish between real and artificial heat sources. This capability enables it to operate effectively even in environments with thermal interference, maintaining accuracy in adverse conditions.
💥 Deadliness and target spectrum
Its 2.5 kg warhead, superior to its predecessors, fragments upon impact, creating a destruction radius sufficient to incapacitate unarmored aircraft. The system can engage:
– Combat and transport aircraft at low altitude
– Attack and reconnaissance helicopters
– Drones of various sizes
– Subsonic cruise missiles
🛡️ Strategic implications
The massive deployment announced by Maduro—“even in the last mountain, the last village and the last city”—positions the Igla-S as a cornerstone of Venezuelan air defense.
Its portability (17–19 kg in combat position) facilitates the creation of a dense mobile short-range coverage network, forcing any adversarial air force to operate with extreme caution or at higher altitudes.
The Igla-S synthesizes decades of innovation in portable air defense, merging tactical mobility with strategic capabilities that could disrupt the regional balance in conflict scenarios.