S-125 NEVA

The S-125 Neva (NATO designation SA-3 Goa) was a Soviet surface-to-air missile designed to destroy low- and medium-altitude targets from the Cold War period. The SA-3 was a two-stage solid-fuel missile with a range - the V-600 missile - of up to 15 kilometers and capable of carrying a warhead weighing 60 kilograms. The S-125 Neva system was created to complement the Soviet S-25 and S-75 systems, constituting the "lower floor" of the multi-layer anti-aircraft defense created by these three systems. It was dedicated to destroying mainly low-flying airplanes and helicopters. Thus, the rockets of this system were smaller in size, but also lower speed and ceiling than those used in the S-25 and S-75. Probably a wider introduction to the line of the S-125 system took place in the USSR in the period 1961-1964. In the early 1970s, an improved version of the S-125M system was introduced, capable of engaging targets at distances of up to 22 km and carrying a warhead weighing up to 70 kilograms. The S-125 system has been exported to many countries, including: Algeria, Angola, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Poland, Romania and Vietnam. Systems of this type also took part in many armed conflicts, for example: the Yom-Kippur war (1973) or the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). The SC version (abbreviation SC - Digital Control) was created in Poland. Previously, sets of 4 Neva rockets operated from a fixed launcher. The steering and guidance systems were completely replaced, and the chassis was added to the T-55 vehicles that were just being phased out. Thus, out of the two old types of weapons, one was obtained - relatively successful.