Team Yankee: SA-9 Gaskin SAM Platoon - TSBX12

SA-9 Gaskin SAM Platoon (TSBX12)
includes four Resin SA-9 Gaskin Anti-aircraft vehicles, one Decal sheet and two Unit cards.

The SA-9 Gaskin (its NATO designation), called Strela-1M (Arrow‑1M) by the Soviets, is a wheeled, amphibious Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system based on the same vehicle as the BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicle. The missile system has both optical and infra-red guidance, and a target ranging radar. Each vehicle carries four missiles in a ready-to-fire configuration and the crew would then manually load additional missiles once fired. Designed to protect against short-range threats it would often be deployed in conjunction with batteries of ZSU-23-4 self-propelled gun systems making a deadly combination.

Anti-aircraft weapons in Team Yankee benefit from the ability to fire at aircraft and helicopters regardless of line of sight thanks to their radar systems and the nature of aircraft crossing the battlefield. Missile systems such as the Gaskin also benefit from the Guided AA rule which cancels the penalty of shooting at targets at long range. This means that whilst they may not be able to attack ground targets like gun based AA systems, they can park up at the back of the table and still engage any aircraft or flying helicopters without penalty. Since they lack a gun, there will be no temptation to push them into positions where they might get themselves killed, making sure they are available to shoot down pesky Cobras or Harriers as the game proceeds.