Missile, SA-7

This is the missile for a Soviet-designed, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile, the SAM-7. First developed in 1959 and first deployed in combat in 1968, the SAM-7 is still in use today. The purpose of the SAM-7 is to destroy low-flying aircraft (under 2300 meters) or to force them to fly at higher altitudes where radar can detect them. The SAM-7 not only represents an enduring and effective military technology, but it also represents the proliferation of small, portable missile technology that has been licensed and adapted throughout the world, especially in less developed nations. The gripstock is standard and has received upgrades and modifications in the power supplies and radar over the years. China, Pakistan, Egypt, Yugoslavia have modified the missile fired from the gripstock to their individual anti-aircraft and air defense requirements. The United States Defense Intelligence Agency transferred this missile to the National Air and Space Museum in 2004, but provided no documentation about its history, date or location of manufacture.