S-125 Neva/Pechora

Soviet Union , Estonia. The S-125 was first deployed between 1961 and 1964 around Moscow, augmenting the S-25 and S-75 sites already ringing the city, as well as in other parts of the USSR. In 1964, an upgraded version of the system, the S-125M "Neva-M" and later S-125M1 "Neva-M1" was developed. The original version was designated SA-3A by the US DoD and the new Neva-M named SA-3B and (naval) SA-N-1B. The Neva-M introduced a redesigned booster and an improved guidance system. The S-125 was not used against U.S. forces in Vietnam, because the Soviets feared that China (after the souring of Sino-Soviet relations in 1960), through which most, if not all of the equipment meant for North Vietnam had to travel, would try to copy the missile. Angolan Civil War The FAPA-DAA acquired a significant number of S-125s, and these were encountered during the first strike ever flown by SAAF Mirage F.1s against targets in Angola – in June 1980. While the SAAF reported two aircraft were damaged by SAMs during this action, Angola claimed to have shot down four. On 7 June 1980, while attacking SWAPO's Tobias Haneko Training Camp during Operation Sceptic (Smokeshell), SAAF Major Frans Pretorius and Captain IC du Plessis, both flying Mirage F.1s, were hit by S-125s. Pretorius's aircraft was hit in a fuel line and he had to perform a deadstick landing at AFB Ondangwa. Du Plessis's aircraft sustained heavier damage and had to divert to Ruacana forward airstrip, where he landed with only the main undercarriage extended. Both aircraft were repaired and returned to service. Middle East transporter vehicle (9T911), captured by the IDF during the Yom Kippur War. The Soviets supplied several S-125s to the Arab states in the late 1960s and 1970s, most notably Egypt and Syria. The S-125 saw extensive action during the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War. During the latter, the S-125, along with the S-75 Dvina and 2K12 Kub, formed the backbone of the Egyptian air defence network. In Egypt, March–July 1970 Soviet battalions of S-125 17 Shooting (35 missiles) shot down nine Israeli and one Egyptian planes. Israel recognized the 5 F-4 Phantoms in 1970 (1 more was W/O) and in 1973 another 6. Persian Gulf War During the Package Q Strike against downtown Baghdad on 19 January 1991, a USAF F-16 (serial 87-257) was shot down. The aircraft was struck by a S-125 just south of Baghdad. The pilot, Major Jeffrey Scott Tice, ejected safely but became a POW. It was the 8th combat loss and the first daylight raid over Baghdad. Kosovo War A Yugoslav Army 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade 3rd battery equipped with S-125 system shot down a F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft on March 27, 1999 during the Kosovo War (the only recorded downing of a stealth aircraft) near village Buđanovci, about 45 km from Belgrade. The pilot LT.COL. Darrell Patrick Zelko ejected and was later found by US search and rescue forces. An S-125 also shot down a NATO F-16 fighter on May 2 (its pilot; Lt. Col David L. Goldfein, the commander of 555th Fighter Squadron, managed to eject and was later rescued by a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission). Syrian Civil War On 17 March 2015, a US MQ-1 Predator drone was shot down by a Syrian Air Defense Force S-125 missile while on an intelligence flight near the coastal town of Latakia. In December 2016, ISIS forces captured three S-125 launchers after they retook Palmyra from Syrian government troops. On April 14, 2018, American, British, and French forces launched a barrage of 103 air-to-surface and cruise missiles targeting eight Syrian military sites. The Russian military claimed that thirteen S-125 missiles launched in response destroyed five incoming missiles. However, the American Department of Defense stated no Allied missiles were shot down. Second Nagorno-Karabakh War According to a joint journalistic investigation by the Buro Media, Hetq and OCCRP, during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan shot down Armenian drones with the Pechora-2TM air defense system, purchased from the private Belarusian arms manufacturer Tetraedr. Russo-Ukrainian War On 6 December 2022, a photo of Polish variant Newa-SC in Ukrainian service, likely made that summer, emerged in media during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Until then, there had been no info on supplying Newa-SC to Ukraine. India During the Operation Sindoor, India used the S-125 missiles to shoot down several Pakistani swarm drones and loitering munitions. The missile systems have been integrated with the IACCS network. ==Description==