SA9 Gaskin
Officially known as the "9K31 Strela-1" and called the "SA-9 Gaskin" by NATO, the Gaskin is a low-altitude surface-to-air missile launcher, designed to take out low-flying aircraft, like helicopters.
The vehicle consists of 4 turret-mounted 9M31 infra-red guided missiles and radar equipment that's mounted to a BRDM-2 scout car. The weapon is simple, but effective, still used by many former-Soviet and foreign militaries. The vehicle is fast, making it decent at aircraft interception, but lightly armored (a scout car had even less armor than most APCs), and no ground defense capabilities, beyond the crew popping out and firing their guns (and since most vehicle crews are only armed with handguns and the occasional carbine, a basic infantry squad would make short work of a vehicle crew).
In Team Yankee
The Gaskin exists in team Yankee as a point-efficent way to get some AA with good range. Point for point it will kill slightly more Aircraft than an equivalently priced Gopher unit, and give you an extra shot over a gremlin team (one gremlin costs the same as two Gaskins). The medium range of the missiles will ensure NATO choppers have to take some risks to get shots off at your army, even if that risk is minor.
If short ranged AA is what you are after though, give this unit a pass. It is cheap, but its only going to kill .84 NATO choppers per volley, compare that to the 1.3 kills you would get from a Shilka unit of equivalent point cost.
IRL
The SA9 Gaskin aka the 9K31 Strela-1 is a short range IR SAM platform based on the BRDM-2 the main attack force of the USSR in a first strike would not actually be the tanks but large numbers of light strike vehicles aiming to attack tanks and enemy attack Helicopters as a shock and awe force. This would actually allow the soviets to suffer heavy casualties and expend enemy ammunition supplies on weaker targets making their main assault of tanks and infantry less vulnerable.
| Soviet Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T55AM2 - T-62M - T-64 - T-72 - T-80 - T-72B - T-64BV |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - BMP-1 - BMP-2 - BMP-3 -BMD-1 - BMD-2 - BTR-D |
| Troops: | Motor Rifle Company - Hind Assault Landing Company - Afghansty Air Assault Company - BMP Shock Motor Rifle Company - BMD Air Assault Company - Afghansty BMD Air Assault Platoon |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - 2S3 Acacia - BM-21 Hail - TOS-1 Buratino - BM-27 Uragan - 2S9 Nona - BM-37 82mm mortar platoon |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA-9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko - 2S6 Tunguska - BTR-ZD |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel - Storm - BTR-RD - ASU-85 |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | SU-22 Fitter - SU-25 Frogfoot - MI-24 Hind |
| East German Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T55AM2 - T-72M - T-72B |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - BMP-1 - BMP-2 |
| Troops: | Mot-Schützen Kompanie - Hind Assault Landing Company |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - BM-21 Hail - RM-70 - 2S3 Acacia |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel |
| Recon: | BMP-1 OP - BRDM-2 |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - SU-22 Fitter |
| Soviet Support: | SU-25 Frogfoot |