strela

Strela is a Slavic word meaning "arrow" in Russian and is used as a proper noun in various contexts. In military and technical usage, it denotes a family of short-range air defense devices developed in the Soviet Union and later used by Russia and other countries.

The Strela designation most prominently refers to the Strela family of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). These systems, including the better-known Strela-2 and later Strela-3 variants, are designed to defend ground troops and vehicles from low-flying aircraft and helicopters. They are portable shoulder-fired missiles operated by a single soldier or a small crew, employing infrared seekers to home in on heat sources. Developed during the Cold War, the Strela systems were widely exported and remained in service with various armed forces for decades, undergoing modernization and replacement by more advanced systems in many operators.

Beyond weaponry, Strela appears as a proper name in Slavic-speaking regions and can be found in literature, film, and place names. The term, tied to its literal meaning, is often used symbolically to evoke speed, precision, or tracking.

In summary, Strela most commonly references a family of Soviet and Russian short-range air defense weapons, while also serving as a general name element in culture and geography.