OVERVIEW: The Python 3 is a short-range, infrared-guided air-to-air missile developed by Israel with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and a range of approximately 15 km.

DETAILS: A significant improvement over the Shafrir 2, the Python 3 introduced all-aspect engagement, allowing lock-on before and after launch from any angle. It featured an upgraded seeker with improved counter-countermeasures and a higher off-boresight capability, enhancing effectiveness in close-range aerial combat.
Its aerodynamic design provided excellent maneuverability, making it a competitive dogfighting missile in the late Cold War era. Python 3 was widely exported and became a standard in many air forces’ short-range missile inventories.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Guidance: Infrared homing (passive)
Warhead: 11 kg high-explosive fragmentation
Length: 3 m
Diameter: 160 mm
Wingspan: 0.86 m
Weight: 120 kg
Platforms: Kfir, F-4 Phantom II, F-5, F-16, Mirage III/5, IAI Nesher, and others

Range: ~ 15 km
Speed: ~ Mach 2

NOTES:
IOC: 1978
Operators: Israel, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Venezuela
Combat Use: Used extensively by the Israeli Air Force during the 1982 Lebanon War, reportedly achieving a high kill rate in dogfights against Syrian aircraft.

SOURCES:
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (archived materials); SIPRI Arms Transfers Database; Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons (IHS Markit); Federation of American Scientists (FAS) - Python Missile Series; GlobalSecurity.org - Python 3; RAND Corporation - "The Air War in Lebanon, 1982"; Weaponsystems.net; wikipedia.org; SA Air Force


