The Soviets issued the Angolans and the guerrillas with scores of SAM-7 (Strela) hand-held, supersonic anti-aircraft missiles. Also known as MANPADS, these weapons were extensively deployed against the SAAF, but they were never instrumental in bringing down a single helicopter, essentially because the South Africans tended to hug the ground when operating against what was accepted as a resilient and aggressive enemy. Author’s photo