SA-4 GANEF is a medium to high altitude surface-to-air missile system. Over the years at least four variants of the missile have been produced.

The Russian designation of the missile is the 2K11 Krug (circle)

The missile is launched by four solid booster rockets mounted externally on the body. The missile is armed 300 metres from the launcher.

After launch the boosters burn for about 15 seconds and then fall away when the fuelled ramjet kerosene sustainer motor ignition speed of over Mach 1 is attained at about 9 km from the TEL. The four fins are fixed and the four wings, in two pairs, are hydraulically operated.

A battery typically has one TEL fitted with the 9M8M2 and two TELs with the 9M8M1 missile, although some TELs may carry one missile of each type. An electro-optical fire control system is fitted for use in a heavy ECM environment. Targets are initially detected by the long range LONG TRACK early warning E-band radar, which has a 150 km range and 30 km maximum altitude coverage. LONG TRACK is mounted on a lengthened version of the AT-T heavy artillery tractor with a large van body added, and is also used for the SA-6 SAM.

The SA-4 TEL (Industrial Index designation 2P24) consists of a tracked armoured chassis on top of which is mounted a hydraulically operated turntable carrying two missiles. The launcher can be traversed by 360º with the missiles being elevated up to an angle of 45º on their launcher arms for launching. The vehicle's engine is to the right of the driver with the remainder of the space in the vehicle taken up by the crew and electronics.

Hatches for the other crew members are on either side of the missile turntable. The torsion bar suspension consists of seven dual rubber-tired road wheels with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear, and four track return rollers. The vehicle has an air filtration and overpressure NBC system and an IR night vision system for the commander and driver but no amphibious capability.

Reserve missiles are carried on Ural-375 (6 x 6) trucks, and reloading the TEL takes between 10 and 15 minutes.