9K38 Igla The 9K38 " Igla " ( , " needle " ) is a Russia n / Soviet man - portable infrared homing surface - to - air missile ( SAM ) . " 9K38 " is the Russian GRAU designation of the system . Its US DoD designation is SA - 18 and its NATO reporting name is Grouse ; a simplified , earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igla - 1 , or SA - 16 Gimlet . The latest variant is the 9K338 Igla - S NATO reporting name SA - 24 Grinch . It has been fielded by the Russian Army since 2004 . There exists a two - barrel 9K38 missile launcher called Djigit . History . The development of the Igla short - range man - portable air defense system ( MANPADS ) began in the Kolomna OKB in 1972 . Contrary to what is commonly reported , the Igla is not an improved version of the earlier Strela family ( Strela - 2 / SA - 7 and Strela - 3 / SA - 14 ) , but an all new project . The main goals were to create a missile with better resistance to countermeasures and wider engagement envelope than the earlier Strela series MANPADS systems . Technical difficulties in the development quickly made it obvious that the development would take far longer than anticipated however , and in 1978 the program split in two : while the development of the full - capability Igla would continue , a simplified version ( Igla - 1 ) with a simpler IR seeker based on that of the earlier Strela - 3 / SA - 14 would be developed to enter service earlier than the full - capability version could be finished . Igla - 1 . The 9K310 Igla - 1 system and its 9M313 missile were accepted into service in the Soviet army on 11 March 1981 . The main differences from the Strela - 3 included an optional Identification Friend or Foe system to prevent firing on friendly aircraft , an automatic lead and super elevation to simplify shooting and reduce minimum firing range , a slightly larger rocket , reduced drag and better guidance system extend maximum range and improve performance against fast and maneuverable targets , an improved lethality on target achieved by a combination of delayed impact fuzing , terminal maneuver to hit the fuselage rather than jet nozzle , an additional charge to set off the remaining rocket fuel ( if any ) on impact , an improved resistance to infrared countermeasures ( both decoy flares and ALQ - 144 series jamming emitters ) , and slightly improved seeker sensitivity . According to the manufacturer , South African tests have shown the Igla ' s superiority over the contemporary ( 1982 service entry ) but smaller and lighter American FIM - 92A Stinger missile . However , other tests in Croatia did not support any clear superiority , but effectively equal seeker performance and only marginally shorter time of flight and longer range for the Igla . According to Kolomna OKB , the Igla - 1 has a P ( probability of kill ) of 0 . 30 to 0 . 48 against unprotected targets which is reduced to 0 . 24 in the presence of decoy flares and jamming . In another report the manufacturer claimed a P of 0 . 59 against an approaching and 0 . 44 against receding F - 4 Phantom II fighter not employing infrared countermeasures or evasive maneuvers . Igla . The full - capability 9K38 Igla with its 9M39 missile was finally accepted into service in the Soviet Army in 1983 . The main improvements over the Igla - 1 included much improved resistance against flares and jamming , a more sensitive seeker , expanding forward - hemisphere engagement capability to include straight - approaching fighters ( all - aspect capability ) under favourable circumstances , a slightly longer range , a higher - impulse , shorter - burning rocket with higher peak velocity ( but approximately same time of flight to maximum range ) , and a propellant that performs as high explosive when detonated by the warhead ' s secondary charge on impact . The naval variant of 9K38 Igla has the NATO reporting name SA - N - 10 Grouse . The Igla – 1M missile consists of a Ground Power Supply Source ( GPSS ) , Launching Tube , Launching Mechanism & Missile ( 9M 313 - 1 ) . Operational history . Iraq . The most notable combat use of the SA - 16 was during the Gulf War . On January 17 , 1991 , a Panavia Tornado bomber of the British Royal Air Force was shot down by an Iraqi MANPADS that may have been an SA - 16 ( or SA - 14 ) after an unsuccessful bombing mission . In addition , an SA - 16 may have shot down an F - 16 on February 27 . The pilot was captured . Rwanda . Private intelligence company Stratfor asserts that SA - 16 missiles were used in the 1994 shoot down of a Rwandan government flight , killing the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi and sparking the Rwandan Genocide , which resulted in approximately 800 , 000 deaths in 100 days . One source claims France may have supplied the missiles from captured Iraqi stocks of the 1991 war . Cenepa War . During the Cenepa War between Ecuador and Peru , both the Ecuadorian Army and the Peruvian Army ( which had 90 functioning firing units ) utilized SA - 16 missiles against aircraft and helicopters . A Peruvian Air Force Mi - 25 attack helicopter was shot down on February 7 , 1995 around Base del Sur , killing the 3 crewmen , while an Ecuadorian Air Force A - 37 Dragonfly was hit but managed to land on February 11 . Hits on additional Ecuadorian aircraft were claimed but could not be confirmed . Bosnia . During Operation Deliberate Force , on August 30 , 1995 ; a French Mirage 2000D was shot down over Pale with an Igla fired by air defence units of the Army of Republika Srpska . The pilots were captured and freed in December 1995 . Syrian Civil War . Video has surfaced showing Islamist rebels using a SA - 16 on a Syrian government helicopter . Such weapons were believed to have been looted from a Syrian army base in Aleppo in February 2013 . Other variants . Several variants of the Igla were developed for specific applications : Use in plot against Air Force One . On August 12 , 2003 , as a result of a sting operation arranged as a result of cooperation between the American , British and Russian intelligence agencies , Hemant Lakhani , a British national , was intercepted attempting to bring what he had thought was an older - generation Igla into the USA . He is said to have intended the missile to be used in an attack on Air Force One , the American presidential plane , or on a commercial US airliner , and is understood to have planned to buy 50 more of these weapons . After the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti ( FSB ) detected the dealer in Russia , he was approached by US undercover agents posing as terrorists wanting to shoot down a commercial plane . He was then provided with an inert Igla by undercover Russian agents , and arrested in Newark , New Jersey , when making the delivery to the undercover US agent . An Indian citizen residing in Malaysia , Moinuddeen Ahmed Hameed and an American Yehuda Abraham who allegedly provided money to buy the missile were also arrested . Yehuda Abraham is President and CEO of Ambuy Gem Corp . Lakhani was convicted by jury in April 2005 , and was sentenced to 47 years in prison . Operators . Igla and Igla - 1 SAMs have been exported from the former Soviet Union to over 30 countries , including Angola , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Botswana , Brazil , Bulgaria ( former producer ) , Croatia , Cuba , East Germany , Egypt , Ecuador , Eritrea , Finland , Hungary , India , Iran , Iraq , the Republic of Macedonia , Malaysia , Mexico , Morocco , North Korea , Peru , Poland , Serbia , Singapore , Slovakia , Slovenia , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Syria , Thailand , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , Vietnam and Zimbabwe . Several guerrilla and terrorist organizations are also known to have Iglas . Alleged Operatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a rebel organization fighting for a homeland for Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka were arrested in August 2006 by undercover agents of the FBI posing as arms dealers , while trying to purchase the Igla . In 2003 the unit cost was approximately US $ 60 , 000 – 80 , 000 . Large numbers have been sold to the government of Venezuela , raising concerns that they may end up in the hands of Colombian guerillas .