Germany delivers Strela-2M MANPADS air defense missile systems and MG3 machine guns to Ukraine.

According to a Tweet published by "The Dead District" on March 26, 2022, citing a German press agency, a shipment of 1,500 Strela MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems) and 100 MG3 machine guns from Germany arrived in Ukraine.
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Czech soldier firing with a Strela-2M SA-7B MANPADS Man-portable air defense missile system. (Picture source Czech MoD)

On March 3, 2022, Army Recognition reported that Germany has approved the delivery to Ukraine of 2,700 SA-7 Grail 9K32 Strela-2 portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) dating back from the armed forces of former East Germany.

Citing military sources, the Strela MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems) delivered to Ukraine could be the model Srela-2M 9K32, NATO code designation SA-7B Grail-B that come from the former East German army. European countries and the United States continue to support Ukrainian with military equipment and weapons in the fight against Russian troops in Ukraine.

The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that a new batch of $800 million of weapons will be sent to Ukraine in the next few days. The United Kingdom also has announced the delivery of a new shipment of 6,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

The SA-7B Grail, Russian denomination 9K32M Strela-2M is the second generation of portable air defense missile systems, made by the Russian defense industry in the family of SA-7.

The development of this relatively simple air defense missile STRELA-2 (NATO code: SA-7A) began in 1959, and the basic version was put into service after 1966. Its advanced version STRELA-2M (SA-7B) with an improved infra-red homing system, a more effective warhead and engine, including a new detection device, has been in service since 1971.

The SA-7B uses a higher thrust propellant which increases slant range from 3.4 to 4.2 km and altitude from 1.5 to 2.3 km. The system uses a new improved guidance and control logic that allowed the engagement of propeller-driven and helicopter aircraft flying at a maximum speed of 150 m/s.

The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The machine gun was standardized in the late 1950s and adopted into service with the newly formed Bundeswehr, where it continues to serve to this day as a squad support weapon and a vehicle-mounted machine gun.

The MG 3 is an automatic, air-cooled, belt-fed short recoil-operated firearm that has a maximum firing range of 600 m mounted on a tripod or 1,200 mounted on a tripod or on a combat vehicle.

German-made MG3 7.62mm caliber machine gun, the enhanced version of the World War 2 MG42  (Picture source: Wikimedia)

Defense News March 2022