This is a Soviet-built, shoulder-launched, surface-to-air missile, the SAM-7. First developed in 1959, first deployed in combat in 1968, the SAM-7 is still in use today. The purpose of the SAM-7 is air defense and to force low-flying aircraft (under about 2,300 meters) into higher altitudes where radar can detect them. The SAM-7 not only represents an enduring and effective military technology, but it also represents the proliferation of small, portable missile technology that has been licensed and adapted throughout the world, especially in less-developed nations. The grip stock is standard and has received upgrades and modifications in the power supplies and radar over the years. China, Pakistan, Egypt, and Yugoslavia have modified the missile fired from the grip stock to their individual anti-aircraft and air defense requirements.

The United States Air Force, Office of Air Force Intelligence, transferred this missile to the National Air and Space Museum in 1990 with no documentation about its history or date of manufacture.