Improvised (and Rechargeable) Batteries for SA-7 MANPADS
In the NYT, a report on the development among Syrian rebels of locally made and reusable batteries for the old SA-7 MANPADS style heat-seeking antiaircraft missile system, known as a “Strela” or “Arrow” in Russian.
Improvised batteries are a potentially significant development, with implications not just in the air-defense war over rebel-held ground in Syria but also for civilian aviation.
A weapon of a class often colloquially called Stingers, as the best-known American model is known, Strelas have for decades been the most commonly seen antiaircraft missiles among rebel and terrorist groups. But the limited availability and short life span of their batteries, which are attached to the exterior of the tube that contains the missile, has meant that non-state groups often struggle with power supply, posing limits on the Strela’s use.
