SA-8 Gecko (9K33 Osa)
Type: Short-Range Air Defense System
Domain: land
Country of Origin: Russia
Manufacturer: Fakel Design Bureau (Soviet Union)
First Deployed: 1975
Overview
The SA-8 Gecko (Soviet/Russian designation 9K33 Osa) is a self-contained, mobile short-range surface-to-air missile system with all components — radar, missile launcher, and fire control — integrated on a single BRDM-derived 6×6 wheeled amphibious chassis. Each vehicle carries 6 ready missiles with a range of 10–15 km and altitude coverage up to 12 km. The Jordan Arab Army acquired the SA-8 in the 1980s as a complement to its HAWK batteries, providing mobile point-defense for forward units. The system is now significantly dated and faces growing challenges from modern ECM and low-observable targets.
Technical Specifications
| radar | Land Roll J-band tracking |
|---|---|
| vehicle | 8x8 amphibious BAZ |
| guidance | Radio command |
| missiles | 9M33M2 (10km) |
| max_range_km | 10 |
| max_altitude_m | 5000 |
| reaction_time_s | 26 |
| simultaneous_targets | 1 |
Operators
- Algeria
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Jordan
- Libya
- Poland
- Russia
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Vietnam
Related land Weapon Systems
- K808 White Tiger - Armored Fighting Vehicle (South Korea)
- Al-Khalid I / II MBT - Main Battle Tank (Pakistan)
- KF51 Panther - Main Battle Tank (Germany)
- Strela-10 (9K35) SHORAD - Short-Range Air Defense System (Russia)
- BMP-1 - Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Russia)
- Piranha V (8x8) - Armored Fighting Vehicle (Denmark)
- Type 90 - Main Battle Tank (Japan)
- Iskander-M (9K720) - Short-Range Ballistic Missile (Russia)
- PPK-20 - Pistol / Handgun (Russia)
- Sinai 200 Armored Fighting Vehicle - Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Egypt)