Gabriel missile

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A Gabriel Mk 3 A/S missile

Type	Short-range anti-ship missile
Service history
In service	1962
Production history
Manufacturer	Israel Aircraft Industries
Specifications
Weight	430 kg (MK I) 522 kg (MK II)
Length	3.35 m
Diameter	34 cm

Warhead	100 kg

Wingspan	1.35 m
Operational range	20 km (MK I) 6-36 km (MK II)
Flight altitude	2.5 m
Speed	240 m/s
Guidance system	Semi-active radar and manual

The Gabriel is an Israeli sea-skimming anti-ship missile, also known as a Scorpion missile in the South African Navy.

Development of the Gabriel for the Israeli Navy began in 1962. The first model was ready by the 1973 Yom Kippur War and was credited with easily defeating Syrian and Egyptian ships armed with the Soviet-made Styx missile.

Gabriel III and Gabriel III A/S were introduced with major improvements. The air-launched Gabriel III A/S has a range of over 60km. Both Gabriel III versions utilise the now widely used 'fire and forget' mode. The air-launched Gabriel flies so low that it is extremely hard for enemy targets to detect early enough to counter.

A new long-range turbojet-powered version of the Gabriel (Gabriel IV) has a 200km range.

New models of the Gabriel are still used by Chile, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and other countries.