The 9K33 Osa, known by its NATO reporting name as the SA-8 Gecko, is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system. Developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced in 1972, it has gained popularity worldwide and is exported under the name "Romb".

Key Characteristics and Description:

• Highly mobile and adaptable, designed for engaging targets at low altitudes, making it suitable for various operational scenarios.
• Incorporates its own engagement radars on a single vehicle, enhancing autonomous target detection, tracking, and engagement capabilities.
• Transporter-launcher and radar vehicles (9A33) can detect, track, and engage aircraft both independently and with the support of regimental surveillance radars.
• The six-wheeled transport vehicles (BAZ-5937) are fully amphibious and air-transportable, offering excellent operational flexibility.
• Utilizes the 1S51M3-2 radar system, codenamed "Land Roll" by NATO, for target acquisition and tracking. It operates in H band and offers a 30 km acquisition range.
• Features engagement antennas operating in the J band and I band, providing tracking and command uplink capabilities, and enabling control of up to two missiles against a single target.
• Launches the 9M33 missiles that are command-guided with proximity fuzes and are suitable for use against jet aircraft and helicopters in diverse weather conditions.
• Multiple variants with differing missile capabilities, extending engagement ranges and altitudes.

It can be accompanied by a 9S80 search radar (NATO designation "Dog Ear"), HARM code 109.

Combat History and Deployment:

The SA-8 Gecko has been deployed by various countries, including Cuba, Greece, Poland, Syria, Ecuador, and Iraq. During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the Syrian air defenses utilized Osas to shoot down enemy aircraft. The system has been involved in different conflicts, such as the 1991 Gulf War, the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian Air Defense employed SA-8 Gecko missile systems. Azerbaijani Bayraktar TB2 armed drones played a role in destroying several SA-8 Gecko vehicles. Similarly, the Russo-Ukrainian War witnessed the use of these systems by both Russia and Ukraine. As of September 2023, documented losses and captures of SA-8 Geckos have occurred during the conflict.