Russian forces receive 9M333 SAMs

The Russian MoD has taken delivery of 9M333 SAMs for its Strela-10M3 short-range air defence systems. (Russian MoD)

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has received “the first mass deliveries” of 9M333 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) from Kalashnikov, Rostec announced on its website on 18 November.

Rostec said the new missile is designed to arm the Strela-10M3 air defence system 9A34M3 and 9A35M3 combat vehicles. It replaces legacy 9M37 missiles, which only had a dual-mode seeker.

The 9M333 can be traced back to 1989, but Rostec stated that the missile delivered to the MoD was first demonstrated publicly at the Army 2020 exhibition before successfully completing qualification tests for the Russian MoD last December.

Development of the missile was initiated in 2018 and the successful tests in December 2020 led to its serial production.

The 9M333 has a horizontal engagement range of 5,000 m and an altitude range of 10-3,500 m. It can engage targets travelling at 679 m/s, and has a three-mode seeker designed to withstand jamming. It can be used as a fire-and-forget missile against a range of low-flying aircraft.