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2K12 Kub-M3 Surface-to-Air Missile System
The SA-6 Kub-M3, known by its NATO designation “Gainful,” was an advanced variant of the Soviet Union’s mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, developed to counter high-speed aerial threats at low to medium altitudes. It brought together radar detection, target tracking, and missile guidance into a unified mobile platform capable of operating effectively in contested environments. Designed for flexibility on the modern battlefield, the Kub-M3 offered a potent combination of semi-active radar-guided accuracy, mobile firepower, and quick deployment and repositioning, making it well-suited for both integrated air defense networks and independent tactical operations, especially in scenarios involving heavy electronic warfare or rapidly shifting frontlines.
History and Combat Record
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The development of the 2K12 Kub system began in the Soviet Union during the 1950s as a response to the growing need for a mobile, medium-range air defense platform capable of protecting advancing ground forces from modern aerial threats. Existing missile systems were largely static or slow to deploy, making them unsuitable for supporting fast-paced, armored offensives. To address this gap, the project brought together several major design bureaus: Vympel took charge of missile development, NIIP was responsible for the radar and guidance systems, and the tracked vehicle chassis were adapted from light tank designs by the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant. After years of testing and refinement, the system entered operational service in the late 1960s. Continued upgrades led to improved variants with better radar tracking, enhanced missile seekers, and greater resistance to jamming. The most advanced of these, the Kub-M3, retained the original’s mobile configuration but introduced more capable 3M9M3 missiles and modernized electronics, ensuring its effectiveness well into the later stages of the Cold War.
Its combat debut was during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 firmly established its reputation. Egyptian and Syrian forces deployed dozens of SA-6 batteries to defend air corridors and ground forces. In the opening days of the war, the system contributed significantly to Israeli air losses, particularly among A-4 Skyhawks and F-4 Phantoms, forcing the Israeli Air Force to radically adjust its tactics. This was due to the system’s resistance to the jamming technologies available to the Israeli Air Force at the time, which proved far more effective against the older S-75 and S-125 systems.
The SA-6 was later employed in a range of conflicts, including the Western Sahara conflict, where captured units were used to shoot down Moroccan Mirage fighters, and the Chad–Libya conflict, in which a Libyan Tu-22 bomber was reportedly brought down by a captured SA-6 launcher. During the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq used the system extensively to defend its airspace against Iranian incursions. In the 1982 Lebanon War, Syrian forces deployed SA-6 units to protect their positions in the Bekaa Valley; however, Israeli suppression-of-enemy-air-defense (SEAD) tactics, electronic warfare, and anti-radiation missile strikes effectively neutralized much of Syria’s air defense network. However, the outcome in the Bekaa Valley may also be attributed to the challenging mountainous terrain and shortcomings in Arab deployment and coordination, in addition to Israeli tactics and technological superiority.
The Gulf War in 1991 also saw the SA-6 used by Iraq against Coalition aircraft. One of the few recorded successes was the shootdown of a U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter during an early mission over Baghdad. However, the system overall performed poorly in that conflict, largely due to the advanced electronic countermeasures and coordinated SEAD operations of the Coalition. During the Bosnian War, a modified SA-6 missile was used by Bosnian Serb forces to down a U.S. F-16 in 1995, marking one of the few confirmed kills of a Western jet by the system in the post-Cold War era. The SA-6 also saw combat use during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, where Yugoslav forces relied heavily on shoot-and-scoot tactics to survive NATO airstrikes. The other F-16, like the F-117, was shot down by a Serbian SA-3 surface-to-air missile system and not an SA-6. Despite hundreds of anti-radiation missiles being launched, only a few SA-6 radars were destroyed, showing an 80% survivability rate. The survivability of this system when employed with skill, mobility and caution is very high.
In more recent years, the system has continued to appear in smaller-scale conflicts. Variants or derivatives of the SA-6 were reportedly used by Syrian forces in 2018 during Western airstrikes, though no confirmed hits were recorded. In Yemen, Houthi-aligned forces reportedly downed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in 2019 using an SA-6 derivative, indicating the platform still posed a credible threat against modern, unmanned aerial targets when used effectively.
Kub-M3 In-Depth
1S91 “Straight Flush” Radar/Guidance Vehicle
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At the heart of the Kub-M3 system is the 1S91 radar vehicle, which combines both target acquisition and engagement guidance capabilities on a single tracked chassis. The system mounts two primary radar systems: a long-range acquisition radar operating in the G/H band and a continuous-wave tracking radar responsible for target illumination during missile flight. The vehicle is built on a fully tracked GM-568 chassis, allowing it to remain mobile with the missile launchers and reposition as needed. It serves as the command and control hub for each firing battery, managing missile launches and guiding intercepts.
- Target Acquisition Radar: The primary search radar can scan across a full 360° azimuth, with a detection capability of up to approximately 75 kilometers against aircraft-sized targets. It provides initial target data and hands off tracking duties to the engagement radar.
- Target Tracking/Illumination Radar: The fire control radar locks onto a designated target and maintains continuous-wave illumination for the missile’s semi-active homing seeker. It is capable of tracking targets with high angular precision within a range of around 28 kilometers.
- Optical Backup System: The vehicle also includes a basic optical tracking device, allowing limited engagement capability under electronic countermeasure conditions or when radar silence is required.
- Crew and Power: The 1S91 is operated by a crew of five and includes an onboard auxiliary power unit for independent operation of radar and guidance systems.
2P25 Launcher Vehicle
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The 2P25 transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) is a fully mobile platform designed to carry, elevate, and launch up to three ready-to-fire missiles. The 2P25 vehicle lacks onboard radar and relies entirely on guidance and targeting data from the 1S91 vehicle. It is mounted on a GM-578 tracked chassis, which is part of the GM-575 series developed by the Soviet Union, and features robust cross-country mobility.
- Mobility: Built on a tracked suspension with a diesel engine producing approximately 240 horsepower, the 2P25 can achieve road speeds of up to 44 km/h and has an operational range of 260 km. It is capable of traversing rough terrain, water obstacles, and defensive positions with minimal preparation.
- Launcher Mechanism: The launcher rotates 360° and elevates up to 85°, allowing engagement of targets from a wide variety of azimuth and elevation angles. Missiles are held in a raised position for launch and lowered during transport to reduce visual and radar signature.
- Reloading: The launcher is supported by dedicated reload vehicles and can be resupplied with three new missiles in approximately ten minutes using a hydraulic crane system.
3M9M3 Surface-to-Air Missile
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The 3M9M3 is the missile used in the Kub-M3 configuration, representing the most advanced version of the 3M9 missile family. It employs a semi-active radar homing to intercept high-speed aerial targets. This missile is capable of withstanding and maneuvering at up to 18–22 Gs during flight, depending on altitude and speed conditions.
- Dimensions and Weight: The missile is approximately 5.8 meters long, with a body diameter of 33.5 cm, and weighs just under 600 kg.
- Propulsion: It uses a solid-fuel booster to accelerate at launch, followed by a ramjet sustainer that allows sustained high-speed flight. The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.8.
- Guidance: The missile is guided using semi-active radar homing (SARH), receiving continuous illumination from the 1S91 vehicle during flight. A command uplink is also used for mid-course updates, improving accuracy and reaction to target maneuvers.
- Warhead: The missile carries a 56–59 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, detonated either by a proximity fuse or on direct impact. The blast radius is sufficient to neutralize high-speed aircraft and similar targets.
- Engagement Envelope: The 3M9M3 can engage targets at ranges between 4 and 25 kilometers, and at altitudes from 20 meters up to approximately 8,000 meters. This range represents an improvement over earlier variants in both distance and seeker performance.
SA-6 Kub-M3 (“Gainful”) – Full System Specifications
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System Overview
- Designation: 2K12M3 Kub-M3
- NATO Reporting Name: SA-6 “Gainful”
- Type: Self-propelled, mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile system
- Origin: Soviet Union
- Operational Role: Area defense against low- and medium-altitude aerial threats (fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones)
- Status: Phased out from front-line use; replaced by Buk; some units modernized or exported
Missile – 3M9M3
- Missile Type: Semi-active radar homing surface-to-air missile
- Guidance: Command guidance with terminal semi-active radar homing (SARH)
- Speed: Approx. Mach 2.8–3.0
- Maximum Range: ~25–28 km
- Minimum Engagement Range: ~3–4 km
- Maximum Altitude (Ceiling): ~14,000 m
- Minimum Altitude: ~100 m
- Warhead Type: 56 kg HE-fragmentation
- Fuze: Radar proximity fuze
- Max Maneuver Load: ~18–22 G
- Length: ~5.8 m
- Diameter: 33 cm
- Wingspan: 1.2 m
- Launch Weight: ~599 kg
Launcher Vehicle – 2P25
- Chassis: GM-578 (tracked, amphibious, diesel-powered)
- Missile Loadout: 3 × 3M9M3 missiles ready to fire
- Traverse: 360°
- Elevation Range: ~−4° to +85°
- Rearm Time: Several minutes with crane-equipped resupply vehicle
- Crew: 3 (driver, commander, loader/operator)
- Mobility:
- Engine: YaMZ-206V diesel, ~240 hp
- Top Speed: ~45 km/h (road)
- Operational Range: ~300–400 km
- Amphibious: No
- Suspension: Torsion bar
- Protection: Light armor against small arms and shrapnel
Radar/Fire Control Vehicle – 1S91
- Chassis: GM-568 tracked chassis (related to GM-578)
- Function: Target acquisition and continuous-wave target tracking/illumination
- Acquisition Radar:
- Type: H/I-band pulse radar
- Detection Range: Up to 75–85 km (depending on target RCS and altitude)
- Scan Coverage: 360° rotation
- Tracking Radar:
- Type: Continuous-wave radar for missile guidance
- Tracking Range: ~28–35 km
- Target Capacity: Typically tracks 1 target at a time per vehicle
- ECCM: Moderate resistance; vulnerable to modern jamming
- Backup Sighting: Optical periscope (limited use in later M3 models)
- Crew: 5
- Power: Onboard generator or external supply
Battery Composition (Standard SA-6 Kub-M3 Battery)
- 1 × 1S91 radar vehicle (acquisition + tracking)
- 4 × 2P25 launcher vehicles
- 3 × 3M9M3 missiles per launcher (12 total ready-to-fire)
- Resupply trucks (with missile reloads and cranes)
- Optional generator vehicles
- Command and communication elements
Operational Use
- Role: Tactical area defense for armored/motorized divisions
- Deployment Method: Shoot-and-scoot doctrine; launches from forward positions, then rapidly repositions
- Strengths: High mobility, decent altitude coverage, difficult to neutralize when mobile
- Weaknesses: Limited target tracking per battery, vulnerable to modern ECM and SEAD if static
Kub-M4 Variant Note
- Kub-M4 was a late Cold War experimental hybrid allowing 9A310 Buk TELs to give fire control information to the Kub’s 2P25 vehicles.
- It served as a transitional bridge during the phaseout of Kub systems.
- Saw very limited service and was ultimately replaced by the Buk-M1 system.
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