MANPADS "Verba": review, characteristics and features

The domestic MANPADS "Verba" is a unique anti-aircraft system designed to destroy air targets on accompanying and oncoming courses, even in the presence of false thermal interference. The shot range is more than six thousand meters with an impact height of up to four and a half kilometers. The missile of the complex bears the index 9M-336, is equipped with a three-dimensional homing head, and with a high probability also strikes cruise missiles and unmanned vehicles. The kit includes an automatic control unit that allows you to detect targets and determine their flight parameters.

History of creation

The Verba MANPADS was first mentioned in 2008, when the design bureau began developing a fourth-generation anti-aircraft portable system. The predecessors of this weapon (“Strela”, “Igla”) used a single and paired spectral guidance head. The complex under consideration is equipped with three aiming ranges: in the ultraviolet, near-infrared and medium spectrum, which makes it possible to use the weapon in optical countermeasures.

A trial batch of updated systems entered the army in 2014, and 12 months later the new weapon was publicly shown at the Army forum and taken for current use.

Service and combat use

Service

MANPADS "Verba" are in service with the following formations:

Russia

military unit 61756. 7th Guards Air Assault Division (7th Airborne Division)
military unit 07264. 76th Guards Air Assault Division (76th Airborne Division);
military unit 65451. 98th Guards Airborne Division (98 Airborne Division);
military unit 55599. 106th Guards Airborne Division (106th Airborne Division);
military unit 12128. 21st separate guards motorized rifle brigade (heavy) (21st motorized rifle brigade (t));
military unit 41659. 35th separate guards motorized rifle brigade (35th motorized rifle brigade)
military unit 51460. 57th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (57th Motorized Rifle Brigade): brigade set of 27 units.

Design features

The new Verba MANPADS is equipped with nine photodetector sites that send waves measuring 0.3 microns to the target. Since homing optics scans an object in three ranges, this makes it possible to hit small targets with little heat emission. Thanks to the synchronous analysis of spectra, the weapon has an increased target acquisition range, quickly distinguishes between the desired and false target, and is reliably protected from pyrotechnic interference.

When creating the complex, the designers also took into account improved quality and reliability with simplified maintenance. The homing head no longer requires regular nitrogen cooling, which significantly saves time, material and human resources. The Verba complex is a MANPADS that weighs almost half as much as similar foreign and domestic modifications. However, the weapon has more destructive power and better spectral guidance, which makes it one of the most advanced in its class.

Sources

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Equipment

The complex in question is equipped with the following elements:

trigger type 9P521;
surveillance radar equipment 1L122 with a target detection range of 40-80 kilometers;
guided missile 9M336;
“friend or foe” recognition system;
mobile control point 9B861;
exploration and control module;
assembly division unit 9С933−1;
automatic set shooter 9S935;
components for training and education of the crew.

Verba is a weapon (MANPADS) that uses a 9M336 missile with an updated solid fuel engine that has improved characteristics compared to its analogues. The ammunition is equipped with an enlarged warhead and an adaptive fuse. The Mowgli night vision device included in the kit makes it possible to fire in conditions of limited visibility and at night.

Design

Verba contains a 9M336 rocket and a 9P521 launcher. In addition, it includes 1L129V friend-or-foe identification equipment, 9V861 mobile control point, 1L122 radar detector, 9S931 planning module, 9S933 fire control module for a brigade or 9S933-1 installation kit for a division, and 9S935 automation equipment.

Thanks to maximum automation, it is possible to detect group air targets and automatically distribute them between anti-aircraft systems with the transfer of all necessary flight parameters, and deployment and readiness to fire is carried out in 8 seconds.

MANPADS "Verba": characteristics

The anti-aircraft complex in question is part of the Barnaul-T tactical air defense scheme; it is included in the general air defense system and can receive information about air targets from higher-class detection devices.

The following are the main tactical and technical parameters of the Verba MANPADS:

shot range - from five hundred meters to six kilometers;
hitting a target in height - from ten to four and a half thousand meters;
ammunition weight - 17.25 kilograms;
the maximum speed of an object on a collision course is four hundred meters per second;
the same indicator in the forward direction is 320 m/s;
the number of spectral ranges is three.

The heads of the military units that received this complex note that the new weapon makes it possible to significantly reduce the time spent on deploying crews - almost tenfold.

In service

Operators of MANPADS "Igla-1" and "Igla"
MANPADS 9K38 "Igla" in the Brazilian Armed Forces.

9K338 Igla-S

Azerbaijan - 300 MANPADS “Igla-1” and “Igla-S”, as of 2010 [ source not specified 116 days
]
Armenia
Algeria - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Angola - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Belarus - MANPADS "Igla-1" [ source not specified 3427 days
]
Brazil - 53 MANPADS, as of 2010
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Botswana - 10 Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Venezuela - 200 Igla-S MANPADS, in service with the Air Force, as of 2010, 1800 missiles
Vietnam - MANPADS "Igla-1" and "Igla", as of 2010
Egypt - 656 launchers of Igla-S MANPADS were delivered in the period 2008-2011, the total number of MANPADS purchased under the 2005 contract is not known
Georgia - some, as of 2022
India - a significant number of Igla-1 and Igla MANPADS, as of 2010
Jordan - MANPADS "Igla-1" and "Igla", as of 2010
Iran - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
DPRK - a significant number of Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Republic of Korea - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Cuba - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Lebanon - In 2012, Hezbollah received a shipment of Igla-S MANPADS from Iran.
North Macedonia - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Malaysia - as of 2010
Mexico - more than 5 MANPADS, as of 2010
Myanmar - as of 2010
Nicaragua - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
UAE - Igla MANPADS, in service with air defense forces, as of 2010
Pakistan - Igla-1 MANPADS, in service with the Air Force, as of 2010
Peru - 128 Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Transnistria - MANPADS "Igla" [ source not specified 3175 days
]
Russia - MANPADS "Igla-1" and "Igla", as of 2010
Gaza Strip - In 2012, Hamas received a shipment of Igla-S MANPADS from Iran.
Serbia - 54 SA-16 Šilo
, as of 2010
Singapore - Igla MANPADS, as of 2010
Syria - significant number of Eagles, as of 2010
Slovakia - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010
Slovenia - 96 MANPADS, as of 2010
Uganda - Igla-1 MANPADS, as of 2010

Comparison with competitors

One of the most common portable anti-aircraft systems is the Stinger. Despite the fact that it is constantly being modified, the Verba MANPADS has greater capabilities. The foreign kit is being transformed mainly in terms of improving the sensitivity of homing heads. The latest modification of POST operates in two spectra, aggregating with microprocessors to ensure a high probability of target selection in the presence of interference.

The height of destruction of the Stinger is 3.5 kilometers, which is a thousand meters lower than the domestic complex. The “American” has a maximum combat distance to the target on a collision course of four kilometers, and when firing in pursuit - 5.2 km. The chance of successfully hitting a selected object with a foreign weapon is 0.4-0.6 at a speed of a flying target of no more than four hundred meters per second. Adjustments and fire control are made by the unit commander from the command post.

No man is an island!

More than four dozen countries around the world have adopted Igla anti-aircraft systems. The first cases of combat use date back to 1991 during the armed conflict in the Persian Gulf region. According to some reports, Iraqi military personnel destroyed or disabled 12 combat aviation units of the International Coalition. It was the use of Russian MANPADS that forced the British Air Force to abandon the tactics of attacks from low altitudes with Tornado fighter-bombers.

In civil wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Syria, and in numerous local hotbeds of tension, portable anti-aircraft systems have repeatedly demonstrated their combat effectiveness. Experts note that firing Igla MANPADS and destroying enemy aircraft is not the main purpose of using this type of weapon. The main task of mobile systems is to disrupt the combat plans of enemy aircraft. A striking example is the situation in Libya in 2011, when the actions of NATO military aircraft were constrained by the presence of Russian Igla MANPADS in the troops subordinate to Muammar Gaddafi.

High mobility, ease of use, reliability, and an optimal combination of weight and size parameters have allowed our complexes to occupy an important niche in the defense strategies of many countries. MANPADS have become an effective anti-aircraft weapon against enemy air raids because they are practically impossible to detect by any reconnaissance devices, and their use is always sudden and fleeting. The massive use of mobile systems deprives aviation of dominance at altitudes convenient for attacks on ground targets.

The Syrian crisis and the rise of international terrorism have forced people to talk about the multifaceted problem of ensuring international control over the circulation of MANPADS. A series of documents adopted by the governments of many countries involves the introduction of strict accounting of the export of man-portable air defense systems, the exchange of information on production and the adoption of measures to ensure the reliable storage of weapons.

Who is afraid of the Verba MANPADS?

The new anti-aircraft system is designed to effectively destroy enemy aircraft (UAVs, airplanes, cruise missiles, helicopters), as well as carry out air defense. Innovative solutions and original developments made it possible to create a weapon that is superior in its class to the domestic Igla complexes, as well as the American Stinger, English Starstreak and Chinese QW-2.

The missiles are equipped with protection against laser interference installed on modern combat aircraft. In addition, the automatic control system allows you to detect air targets, determine the parameters for their placement and distribute the fixation of the object between the arrows of the anti-aircraft crew.

The complex's automated control system also includes a compact radar that detects a target at a distance of up to 80 kilometers. The anti-aircraft gunners receive a sound alert about the appearance of the enemy, the system, using GLONASS, determines the location of the fighter and gives him coordinates for the shot.

[edit] Notes

“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems / Center for Strategic Conjuncture. M.: Publisher Vorobiev A.V., 2016
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems / Center for Strategic Conjuncture. M.: Publisher Vorobiev A.V., 2016
[1]
[2]
Man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems / Center for Strategic Conjuncture. M.: Publisher Vorobiev A.V., 2016
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
“Verba” versus “Stinger”: the newest Russian MANPADS has no analogues in the world. June 20, 2015
[3]
[4]

Tactical rocketry of Russia
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Companies	Votkinsk plant • Tactical missile weapons • Almaz-Antey
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Ural Federal District	Kurgan region • Sverdlovsk region • Tyumen region • Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug • Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug • Chelyabinsk region
Siberian Federal District	Altai • Buryatia • Tyva • Khakassia • Altai region • Transbaikal region • Krasnoyarsk region • Irkutsk region • Kemerovo region • Novosibirsk region • Omsk region • Tomsk region
Far Eastern Federal District	Yakutia • Kamchatka Territory • Primorsky Territory • Khabarovsk Territory • Amur Region • Magadan Region • Sakhalin Region • Jewish Autonomous Region • Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

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Category: MANPADS

Advantages

According to the developers, the Russian Verba MANPADS have no equal in terms of efficiency and other parameters of the complex in the world. The main advantage of domestic weapons is the high probability of shooting down targets with low radiation. This became possible thanks to an updated missile with a homing head operating in three spectra. The seeker system allows you to destroy objects moving at speeds of up to five hundred meters per second, regardless of the “traps” set.

A complete delivery with all the components that are used to carry out a combat mission makes it possible not only to facilitate the operation and maintenance of weapons, but also to increase the combat effectiveness and efficiency of using missile systems.

The “needle” is small, but it hurts

During the work on “Strela”, the general appearance and standard design of MANPADS was formed. Further development took place in the format of improving the launch device and improving the characteristics of the rocket. At the same time, the basic principles that made this type of weapon so popular were preserved: shooting by one person from the shoulder, the “fire and forget” principle, ease of use and maintenance, high secrecy of use.

The next development of the Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau in the direction of man-portable missile systems was the Igla with the 9M339 missile, created in 1984. The warhead of the missile was increased, the affected area was expanded - range up to 5200 m, altitude up to 3500 m. The lower limit of target destruction dropped to 10 m, and it became possible to hit faster targets. "Igla" became capable of operating in conditions of thermal interference. A “friend or foe” target interrogator was created for the complex.

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense

Creating a homing head capable of selecting thermal interference turned out to be a difficult task. While the missile unit had already been created, the seeker was still at the testing stage. Then, as a separate decision, the Igla-1 complex was created with a new missile part, but a homing head from the Strela-3 complex. Having characteristics at the level of the Igla MANPADS, but with an interference-proof homing head, this complex has taken its place in the export supplies of MANPADS.

In 2001, a new next-generation complex, Igla-S, entered service with the Russian Army, designed, among other things, to destroy small targets - cruise missiles and unmanned devices. The missile now has a contact-non-contact fuse, which also expands its capabilities. The firing range of the Igla-S has been increased to 6000 m.