A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. It is a type of anti-aircraft system.

SAMs can be deployed from fixed installations or mobile launchers. The smallest SAMs are capable of being carried and launched by a single person.

Radar-guided SAMs

French Air Force Crotale battery

• Akash Missile - India
• Arrow - Israel
• Aster - United Kingdom
• Bloodhound - United Kingdom
• CLAWS
• HUMRAAM (this is a ground-launched version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM AAM)
• MEADS - US/Germany/Italy
• MIM-3 Nike Ajax - United States
• MIM-14 Nike Hercules - United States
• MIM-23 Hawk - United States
• MIM-72 Chaparral FAADS
• MIM-104 Patriot - United States
• MIM-146 ADATS - United States
• Nike Zeus - United States
• BAe Blindfire Rapier - United Kingdom
• RIM-2 Terrier - United States Navy
• RIM-7 Sparrow - United States Navy
• RIM-24 Tartar - United States Navy
• RIM-66 Standard Missile-1 - United States Navy
• RIM-67 Standard Missile-2 - United States Navy
• RIM-156 Standard Missile-2ER - United States Navy
• RIM-161 Standard Missile-3 - United States Navy
• Roland - France / Germany
• SA-1 'Guild' - USSR
• SA-2 'Guideline' - USSR
• SA-3 'Goa' - USSR
• SA-4 'Ganef' - USSR
• SA-5 'Gammon' - USSR
• SA-6 'Gainful' - USSR
• SA-8 'Gecko - USSR
• SA-10 'Grumble' - USSR
• SA-11 'Gadfly' - USSR
• SA-12A 'Gladiator'/SA-12B 'Giant' - USSR
• SA-15 'Gauntlet' - USSR
• SA-17 'Grizzly' - USSR
• SA-19 'Grisom' - USSR
• SA-20 'Triumf' - Russia
• Sea Cat - United Kingdom
• Sea Dart - United Kingdom
• Sea Slug - United Kingdom
• Sea Wolf - United Kingdom
• Trishul missile - India
• Hongqi-9 - People's Republic of China

There are different types of radar guidance:

• Patriot, SA-10, SA-12 and SA-20 utilise track-via-missile radar guidance.
• SA-1, SA-2, SA-3, SA-6 and SA-15 utilise radar command guidance.
• SA-5 utilises radar command guidance with terminal active radar homing.
• SA-4, SA-11 and SA-17 utilise radar command guidance with terminal semi-active radar homing.
• SA-8 utilises semi-autonomous command line-of-sight guidance (SACLOS).

IR-guided SAMs

• Anza - Pakistan
• Chaparral - United States (this is a ground-launched version of the AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM)
• Enzian - Germany (WW2)
• FIM-43 Redeye - United States
• FIM-92 Stinger - United States
• Hongqi-7 - People's Republic of China
• Igla - Russia
• Mistral - France
• RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile - United States (this missile is a derivative of the AIM-9 Sidewinder and the FIM-92 Stinger).
• SA-7 'Grail' - USSR
• SA-9 'Gaskin - USSR
• SA-13 'Gopher' - USSR
• SA-14 'Gremlin' - USSR
• SA-16 'Gimlet' - USSR
• SA-18 'Grouse' - USSR

Laser-guided SAMS

• RBS-70 - Sweden
• Starstreak/laser Close Air Defence Missile - United Kingdom

Visually-guided SAMS

• Blowpipe - United Kingdom
• Crotale - France
• Javelin - United Kingdom
• Rapier - United Kingdom
• Wasserfall - Germany (WW2)

See also:

• Missile guidance
• List of NATO reporting names for surface-to-air missiles

External links

• Rest-of-World Missile Systems (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/) from the Federation of American Scientists website