For more than half a century, designers have been improving anti-tank missile weapons. Along with the development of armored vehicles, the capabilities of anti-tank missile systems (ATGM) are also expanding. Today, this term no longer fully encompasses the tasks that modern high-precision tactical weapons can perform. ATGMs are becoming a universal means of hitting various types of targets on the battlefield. One of the latest domestic developments, the third-generation Kornet-EM complex, can combat not only various armored and unarmored ground targets, but also various moving air objects.
Another way
Most developers of modern ATGMs follow a different path than the creators of the FGM-148: by increasing the range and armor penetration, they sacrifice automatic guidance.
Fewer elements are installed on the rocket, which allows increasing the power of the shaped charge and the volume of the fuel compartment. Thus, on the most powerful and modern Russian ATGM “Kornet”, the “fire and forget” principle is only partially implemented. In order for a missile to automatically hit a target, it must remain in the sight frame until it is hit. To do this, for example, a portable version of the Kornet-D ATGM can be deployed on a tripod, and the crew (just like on the Ukrainian Stugna) can be hidden in a shelter. At the same time, according to the stated characteristics, the tandem-cumulative warhead is guaranteed to penetrate any armor, including hidden armor, and the destruction range of some modifications of the complex’s missiles reaches 10,000 meters. Along with the Kornets, Russian troops also use the old Fagot ATGMs with a semi-automatic guidance system. The engagement range of these systems is 3000 meters; the operator must guide the missile to the target until the end. Their armor penetration characteristics are inferior to Javelins.
Another “veteran” among ATGMs is the Franco-German Milan-ER complex. The first modifications of the Milans were put into service back in 1972. When assembled and equipped, the complex weighs more than 45 kg, but it is valued for its simplicity, high reliability and noise immunity.
The Israeli Spike ATGM is considered the main competitor of Javelins in the global arms market. It was acquired by 19 states, including the countries of the former USSR. Its main feature is a huge number of modifications of launchers and ATGMs: from light Mini Spike, designed to destroy cars, fortifications and concentrations of manpower, to heavy installations that fire, in fact, short-range cruise missiles. Most modifications are equipped with an infrared homing head, that is, the “fire and forget” principle is fully implemented.
Nathan Flayer/CC 3.0/wikipedia.org
Not long ago, China also created its own portable ATGM. The HJ-12 complex was first presented at the Eurosatory 2014 exhibition. According to the developers, the complex is in service with the PLA, and according to experts, it resembles a “hybrid” of the American Javelin and the Israeli Spike complex, in particular, it implements the concept of “ soft start" and uses an infrared homing head.
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One Kornet against six tanks
One of the priority tasks of anti-tank weapons is to hit the target before it enters the fire contact zone. Modern combat operations often take place in desert terrain, foothills or wide valleys and allow the enemy to be seen at a fairly large distance. Therefore, ATGM developers strive to maximize the firing range of their products, while maintaining the main indicators of accuracy, the power of the warhead and, of course, the size and weight of the weapon.
Thanks to a number of innovations, the designers of the instrument design bureau have achieved that Kornet-EM can detect targets at ranges of up to 12 km, and hit targets at ranges of up to 10 km. This is twice as far as the basic Cornet. At the same time, the accuracy of the new modification is higher than that of its predecessor, even at longer distances.
Experts have calculated that the enemy’s advance can be held back by inflicting approximately 30% damage on him. The full combat kit of the mobile version of the Kornet-EM, when placed on a carrier of two automated launchers, consists of 16 missiles, 8 of which are immediately installed on the guides and are ready to fire. The firing range of the Kornet with high-explosive missiles is 10 km, with cumulative missiles – 8 km. This amount is enough to cause significant damage to the enemy. The capabilities of the Kornet-EM can be demonstrated by the example of an attack by a group of six tanks.
The effective firing range of modern tanks with unguided weapons is no more than 2 km. Due to the presence of two independent automated launchers, the Kornet-EM ATGM can fire simultaneously at two targets spaced apart along the front, range, and elevation angle of the target. The Kornet's rate of fire is 2-3 rounds per minute, and, accordingly, if the targets are in sight, the complex manages to hit half the tanks of the attacking group even before they enter the return fire zone.
The export modification of the Cornet is capable of operating in a wide range of climatic conditions, with special attention paid to working in hot latitudes with a humid climate. "Kornet-EM" does not lose its effectiveness in the dark and in poor weather conditions. The ATGM is produced in a portable version, which can be installed on any carrier in a “pin version”. In the mobile version, at the request of the customer, one or two automated launchers can be installed on any domestic (IFV, Tigr-M, KAMAZ, Typhoon-K) chassis or foreign one, suitable in terms of payload capacity and internal volume . All this together makes the Kornet-EM complex one of the best modern examples of tactical high-precision weapons in the world.
Combat use
PU with TPK on Kornet-EM at MAKS-2011.
The Kornet-E ATGM (export version) was used in combat during the Second Lebanon War by the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon in 2006. Several launchers and unused missiles were captured by the Israel Defense Forces. According to Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, the complexes were received from Syria.
According to the Israeli army report, in this conflict, 46 Merkava tanks received various damage from enemy fire (all types of impact). The RIAN agency, citing the Hezbollah-owned An-Nur radio station, wrote that a certain “American report distributed in diplomatic missions in Lebanon claims that the data officially announced by Israel on losses in Lebanon are very underestimated and Israel actually lost 164 tanks.” Merkava."
In total, during the conflict (according to the Israeli military), 45 tanks were hit by ATGMs and RPG grenades, and 51 missiles hit the tanks. In 24 cases (47% of the number of hits), the cumulative jet pierced the armor of tanks. In total, about 60 armored personnel carriers, including 48-52 tanks, received combat damage. 31 armored forces soldiers were killed, including 30 tank crews (there are sources with lower numbers, up to 13). In addition, 4 more soldiers died from ATGM hits in the armored personnel carrier - 3 in D9 bulldozers and 1 in the heavy Puma armored personnel carrier. According to M. Khlustov, “the number of launches from anti-tank systems of all types is unlikely to greatly exceed 100.” According to O. Granovsky, “most likely the number of ATGMs and RPG grenades released actually exceeds 1,000 units. The statement that every 25th missile hit the target is extremely doubtful...”
Several (presumably 2) Kornet ATGMs were delivered to the Israeli National Institute for Munitions Research
Israeli Defense Forces Engineers.
According to Israeli authorities, on April 7, 2011, during the attack on an Israeli school bus, Hamas militants used a Kornet anti-tank missile system, which led to a diplomatic row between Israel and Russia.
The Kornet ATGMs are used by the Free Syrian Army during the civil war in Syria.
In 2014, according to a statement by the Israeli military, the Israeli army found Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles during the Anti-Tank Operation “Immeasurable Rock” in the Gaza Strip. Also during this operation, of the 15 missiles launched at Israeli tanks and intercepted by the Trophy active tank defense systems, most were Kornet ATGMs or their modifications. Also, in some cases, Trophy was able to detect ATGM launch sites, which allowed tank teams to destroy them immediately after interception.
On January 28, 2015, at least 3 anti-tank missiles of the Kornet complex were launched from Lebanese territory at an Israeli military jeep and a village. As a result, 2 military personnel were killed and 7 were injured, including civilians.
In May 2022, a Citroen car was hit by a Kornet missile from the Gaza Strip on the highway between the village of Yad Mordechai and the city of Sderot. The driver, a man (60 years old), was fatally injured and died during his evacuation to hospital.
Shot into nowhere: Why Russia cannot create an analogue of the American Javelin complex
A unique weapon can stop the enemy at distant approaches, but creating it is not an easy task.
In the near future, Egypt will host an arms exhibition EDEX202, at which manufacturers of military equipment will show their latest developments. In addition to aviation, at this exhibition Russia will demonstrate one of the versions of the Kornet anti-tank system, which is considered one of the best in the world. At the same time, the missiles of Tula gunsmiths are regularly criticized. It is believed that Russia has lagged behind Western and Asian countries in the development of third-generation ATGMs capable of operating on a fire-and-forget basis. But is this really so?
The American anti-tank missile system is considered to be the third generation of systems for combating enemy tanks. The weapon, developed back in the late 80s, was equipped with a powerful optical guidance system, and the missile received an infrared homing head (IR homing head), which allowed the United States to create a weapon that works on the “fire and forget” principle. In addition, the missile was equipped with a dual-mode fuse and could be detonated both upon contact with the hull of a tank (and any target in general) and at a low altitude from the target.
Formally, the FGM-148 Javelin is a further development of the American TI Tank Breaker ATGM, but with one distinctive feature. Instead of a frontal flight path, the Americans switched to a roof attack pattern. Armored vehicle historian and military expert Alexey Tarasov explains that hitting equipment in the upper (most unprotected) part is a logical direction for the development of anti-tank weapons.
Traditionally, the frontal projection is the best protected. It is difficult to break through layers of passive armor, dynamic, and sometimes active protection. The upper part of the turret or hull, on the contrary, is the weakest protected for most combat vehicles. A successful hit can damage external equipment, weapons, and communications devices. Attacks from above usually occur at advantageous angles. The closer the angle is to 90 degrees, the better. The effect of tilting the armor does not affect it, plus only the Russian “Afganit” can protect equipment from attacks from the side and from above—Alexey Tarasov, Military expert, historian of armored vehicles
But there were some compromises. Despite the promising optical guidance system, the Javelin received a modest launch range of two and a half kilometers. However, even so, for many years no other country was able to achieve the same results with high quality shooting.
It took the Israeli company Rafael about ten years to create a similar complex. But the long development period paid off in full - the Spike anti-tank system surpassed the American Javelin ATGM in all respects. The maximum launch range was eight kilometers, and the minimum was only 400 meters, which made it possible to use the weapon even in small offensive operations and sabotage raids. The principle of operation remains the same - guiding the missile through the optical system and capturing the target with the homing head. Almost immediately, the Israelis were accused of stealing technology, but no one was able to prove the theft of the idea. As a result, the Spike ATGM became the first third-generation anti-tank system to be exported. At the same time, Spike has turned from a portable complex into a multifunctional one. It began to be installed on cars and helicopters, and the longest-range version of Spike NLOS allows operators to fire from closed positions and from indoors, which expands the scope of this ATGM.
Despite the high launch cost (each Spike shot costs approximately $200,000), 20 countries have adopted the complex and regularly replenish their stocks, and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces successfully used Israeli anti-tank systems in the war for Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022. Almost simultaneously with the Israelis, the third generation anti-tank complex appeared in South Korea. The AT-1K Raybolt is almost identical to the FGM-148 or Spike in appearance and uses the same fire-and-forget principle thanks to its wide-angle optical guidance system.
Later, third-generation ATGMs appeared in service with the PLA. In China, in general, they really like to copy the most modern weapons of the West. And in this case, no exception was made. The HJ-10 and HJ-12 replicate both the design of the Javelin and Spike, as well as the method of hitting a target. There is no data yet on the combat use of this complex, but ATGMs of this line are actively offered to the PRC for export. The Chinese third-generation ATGM turned out to be cheaper than the Israeli and Korean ones. Each HJ-12 launch costs half as much, “only” 100 thousand dollars.
The Russian anti-tank system “Kornet” is a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the world of “tank hunters”. It is purchased in 13 countries around the world, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic recently announced a new contract for these weapons. “Kornet-EM” is the most modern modification of the complex, which eliminates the use of wires in the control system and expands the shooting capabilities thanks to a laser guidance system and a thermal imager that “transparent” any target even after shooting interference.
Several years ago, the Kornet also acquired a super-powerful missile, which makes it a leader in terms of firing range. The 9M133FM-3 ammunition turned out to be capable of penetrating almost one and a half meters of armor behind the dynamic protection of any modern tanks. However, the attack pattern of the Russian complex differs significantly from that which can be seen in the Javelin or Spike. First, the ammunition flies towards the target in a straight line and only on approach makes a “slide”, as if “diving” towards the target at great speed. This imposes certain restrictions on the capabilities of a missile that can be detected and shot down. The Kornet missile does not have its own infrared seeker. The operator relies entirely on data from the laser and thermal imager. And if a failure occurs, the rocket will fly past the target.
As military expert Vasily Kashin explains, Russia produces guidance systems similar to the Javelin and Spike, but only for larger missiles.
For a long time we did not have a special matrix that would allow such shooting. Later, I think, somewhere in the 2010s, we had the opportunity to make such a system. But, as far as I understand, the Ministry of Defense does not consider it advisable to develop this technology in anti-tank systems of this type. Most likely, this may be due to the priorities of the weapons program and conceptual views on the use of these weapons - Vasily Kashin, Military expert
Experts say cost is the key advantage of Kornet. Its launch costs 8–10 times less, but the risk, according to experts, is significantly higher. If the aiming mark is disrupted, the complex will have to be aimed again, albeit in automatic mode. Foreign complexes do not have this drawback, but manufacturability is not cheap. The most expensive in this sense is still the American Javelin - the launch cost ranges from 200 to 220 thousand dollars.
If we compare all anti-tank systems in the context of international arms markets, then the country whose weapons shoot further and do it better will have a chance to win. Russian defense technologies are focused mainly on the creation of long-range aviation systems (such as Vikhr, Ataka) and the latest anti-tank complex Hermes. According to all forecasts, significantly less money is currently being invested in the development of third-generation ATGMs, which would combine the low cost of the Kornet and the high accuracy of the Spike and Javelin, than in similar aviation systems, although the technical feasibility of creating there are such weapons. Experts do not undertake to predict what Russia’s lag in the development of these complexes will lead to, but in five to seven years the situation could develop dramatically. And the country will have practically nothing to offer foreign buyers.
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Notes
- , With. 174.
- , With. 173.
- ↑ (inaccessible link). Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ↑. Of. website of the Instrument Design Bureau (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ↑. Website militaryrussia.ru
. Retrieved October 15, 2011. - . Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- . www.kbptula.ru. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ↑
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 370.
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 141.
- The Military Balance 2007. - P. 181.
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 386.
- ↑
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 503.
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 466.
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 404.
- The Military Balance 2013. - P. 183.
- The Military Balance 2009. - P. 200.
- (English). southfront.org (03.10.2017). Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ↑. NEWSru.co.il (January 28, 2015).
- ↑
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 211.
- (English). terrorism-info.org.il (11/11/2012).
- ↑
- Yulia Troitskaya.
. RIA Novosti (17:15 16/08/2006). Retrieved May 6, 2009. - ↑
- Khlustov Mikhail Vladimirovich. Southern Lebanon // Use of tanks at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. Analytical report. - M.: ANO "TsSOiP" // Magazine "Samizdat", 2013.
- Jeremy Binnie.
(English). IHS Jane's Defense Weekly (20 June 2014). - . www.militaryparitet.com (June 20, 2014).
- . וואלה! חדשות. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- . NEWSru.co.il (May 5, 2019).
Operating countries[edit]
As of August 2009, 35,000 units of the Kornet ATGM were sold:
- Armenia - according to the Center for Analysis of the World Arms Trade, Armenia purchased 50 anti-tank systems and 200 missiles for it in 2013.
- Russia - about 750 Kornet ATGMs, as of 2009.
- Algeria - 64 BRDM-2M and 304 BMP-2M with Kornet-E launchers, as well as a number of portable launchers, as of 2013. About 3,000 9M133 units were supplied from Russia between 2006 and 2010.
- Greece - 196 PU 9P196 “Kornet-E” in service with the Ground Forces, as of 2013. The delivery was carried out in two stages, under a contract concluded with Rosoboronexport in 2001 for 278 ATGMs.
- India - more than 250 9P196 Kornet-E launchers and about 3000 9M133 units were supplied from Russia between 2003 and 2006.
- Jordan - 200 launchers and 2000 9M133 units, as of 2013. Delivered from Russia between 2009 and 2010.
- Cote d'Ivoire - a number of Kornet-E ATGMs, as of 2013.
- Libya - quantity and status unknown.
- Peru - 22 M1165A2 with Kornet-E launchers and 244 ATGMs, as of 2013. The contract was concluded in 2008 for the amount of $23 million.
- Syria - 1000 ATGMs and 100 Kornet-E launchers, as of 2013. The supply contract was completed in the 90s for the amount of 65 million dollars.
- Turkey - 80 Kornet-E launchers, as of 2013, including up to 800 missiles delivered in 2009 under a contract concluded with Rosoboronexport in 2008.
- Eritrea - 80 9M133 units were delivered from Russia in 2005, the total contract amount is $170 thousand.
Paramilitary organizationsedit
- Hezbollah - it was reported that this organization has the Kornet-E ATGM. During the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah militants used Cornets to fight Israeli armored vehicles.
- Hamas
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - in May 2015, ISIS published video footage of Kornet-E systems captured in Iraq, produced and delivered to the Iraqi army in 2014. The exact number of captured complexes is unknown.
- Ansar Allah - the Kornet-E ATGM was used when firing at Saudi troops.
ATGM
First prototypes
Work on the creation of what later took the form of anti-tank guided missiles began in the early 1940s in the secret laboratories of the military scientific division of BMW in Sühlsdorf, [K 2] which had been engaged since the late 1930s. development of missile weapons (BMW-Raketenabteilung).[3]Scientists and engineers of the company under the leadership of chief designer Harald Wolf (and then Count Helmut von Zborowski)[K 3] proactively carried out a number of fundamental research and research work with tactical a technical justification for practical military necessity and a feasibility study for the economic feasibility of serial production of wire-guided finned anti-tank missiles, according to the conclusions of which ATGM will help to significantly increase:[4]
- The likelihood of hitting enemy tanks and heavy armored vehicles at distances inaccessible to existing weapons;
- Effective firing range, which will make tank combat at a great distance possible;
- The survivability of German troops and military equipment located at a safe distance from the maximum range of effective enemy fire.
In 1941, as part of factory tests, they carried out a series of development work, which showed that the listed goals can be achieved by successfully solving the problem of guaranteed destruction of enemy heavy armored vehicles at a much greater distance with the already existing level of development of technologies for the production of rocket fuel and rocket engines[ 5] (by the way, during the war, BMW chemists synthesized in laboratories and tested more than three thousand different types of rocket fuel in the laboratory with varying degrees of success)[6] using wire-by-wire technology[5]. The introduction of BMW developments into practice and their introduction into service was prevented by events of a military-political nature[3].
Since by the time of the supposed start of state tests of the developed missiles, the campaign on the Eastern Front had begun, the success of the German troops was so stunning, and the pace of the offensive was so rapid that the representatives of the army command any ideas incomprehensible to them for the development of weapons and military equipment were completely uninteresting (this applied not only missiles, but also electronic computer technology, and many other achievements of German scientists), and military officials from the Army Weapons Office and the Imperial Ministry of Armaments, who were responsible for the introduction of promising developments into the troops, did not even consider it necessary to consider such an untimely application - party -the state apparatus and officials from among the NSDAP members were one of the first obstacles to the implementation of military innovations[7]. In addition, a number of tank aces of the German Panzerwaffe had a personal battle count of tens and hundreds of destroyed enemy tanks (the absolute record holder is Kurt Knispel with a count of more than one and a half hundred tanks).
Thus, the logic of imperial arms officials is not difficult to understand: they saw no reason to question the combat effectiveness of German tank guns, as well as other anti-tank weapons already available and available in large quantities - there was no pressing practical need for this[8 ]. An important role was played by the personal factor, expressed in the personal contradictions of the then Reich Minister of Arms and Ammunition Fritz Todt and BMW General Director Franz Josef Popp (German), since the latter, unlike Ferdinand Porsche, Willy Messerschmitt and Ernst Heinkel, was not among the Fuhrer’s favorites , and therefore did not have the same independence in decision-making and influence on the departmental sidelines: the Ministry of Armaments in every possible way prevented the management of BMW from implementing its own program for the development of missile weapons and equipment, and directly indicated that they should not engage in abstract research - the role of the parent organization in the development program German infantry tactical missiles were assigned to the metallurgical company Ruhrstahl (German) with much more modest developments in this field and a much smaller staff of scientists for their successful development.
The question of the further creation of guided anti-tank missiles was postponed for several years. Work in this direction intensified only with the transition of German troops to defense on all fronts, but if in the early 1940s this could be done relatively quickly and without unnecessary red tape, then in 1943-1944 imperial officials simply had no time for it, before they faced more pressing issues of providing the army with armor-piercing anti-tank shells, grenades, faustpatrons and other ammunition, manufactured by German industry in millions of pieces, taking into account the average tank production rates of the Soviet and American industries (70[9] and 46[10] tanks per day, respectively), No one was going to waste time on expensive and untested single copies of guided weapons; in addition, in this regard, the personal order of the Fuhrer was in force, prohibiting the expenditure of government funds on any abstract research if they did not guarantee a tangible result within six months from the start of development.
One way or another, after Albert Speer took over as Reich Minister of Armament, [7] work in this direction resumed, but only in the laboratories of Ruhrstahl and two other metallurgical companies [5] (Rheinmetall-Borsig), while BMW was assigned only the task of designing and manufacturing rocket engines. In fact, orders for serial production of ATGMs were placed only in 1944, at the factories of the named companies[5].
First production samples
The first production ATGMs, the X-7 ("Rotkaepchen" - "Little Red Riding Hood"), were developed and tested by Ruhrstahl in 1943-1944 as part of the WUWA program, more for propaganda than for practical military purposes. Strictly speaking, the X-7 was originally developed by Ruhrstahl as an URVV and was a solid-fuel modification of the X-4 URVV, but after the company’s management received an order from the authorities to begin creating an anti-tank guided missile, BMW’s existing developments were not used; was on hand[11]. In a combat situation, German ATGMs were used to a limited extent on an experimental basis - manuals for operation and combat use were not printed for troops, no corresponding changes were made to field manuals, so it would be incorrect to talk about the adoption of these ATGMs for service. There is documentary evidence of use on the Soviet side, but it is not systematic, in addition, since nothing like this existed before, and the term “rocket” at that time, except for the works of K. E. Tsiolkovsky and his students, [K 4] was used by the military in two meanings: 1) signal and lighting ammunition; 2) the obsolete pre-revolutionary equivalent of a mortar round (since there were simply no guided missiles in the arsenal of the Red Army, [K 5] and unguided missiles were called rockets), the new German weapons seen by the Soviet troops were called “anti-tank torpedoes.” Based on eyewitness accounts from the Soviet side: [K 6]
- The Wehrmacht had pre-production or production models of ATGMs ready for combat use by the end of the summer of 1943;
- This was not about isolated experimental launches by factory testers, but about field military tests by military personnel of certain types of weapons;
- Military trials took place at the forefront, in conditions of intense highly maneuverable combat operations, and not in conditions of trench warfare;
- The launchers of the first German ATGMs were compact enough to be placed in trenches and camouflaged using improvised means;
- The activation of the warhead upon contact with the surface of the target under fire led to virtually no alternative to the destruction of the armored target with scattering into fragments (the number of ricochets and cases of non-detonation, misses and emergency situations, as well as any accounting and statistics of cases of the Germans using ATGMs in open Soviet military seals were not given, only a general description by eyewitnesses of the observed phenomena and their impressions of what they saw).
Captured samples were used by both Soviet, American and French rocket scientists in developing their own ATGM models, which began to enter service only in the second half of the 1950s and early 1960s. Among others, the KR V-1, URVP X-1, URVP X-4 and ATGM X-7 were captured by the French - French rocket pioneer Emil Stauff (later general designer of the Nord Aviation missile division) worked with captured samples of German missile weapons. [19]
First large-scale combat use
For the first time after World War II, French-made SS.10 ATGMs were used en masse.
For the first time after World War II, French-made SS.10 ATGMs [K 7] were used in combat operations in Egypt in 1956. The 9K11 “Malyutka” ATGM (made in the USSR) was supplied to the armed forces of the UAR before the 1973 war[21]. At the same time, the need to manually aim missiles until they hit the target led to an increase in losses among operators - Israeli tank crews and infantry actively fired machine-gun and cannon weapons at the site of the intended ATGM launch; if the operator was injured or died, the missile lost control and began to lay down orbits spiral, with an amplitude increasingly increasing with each revolution, as a result, after two or three seconds it stuck into the ground or went into the sky. This problem was partly compensated by the possibility of moving the operator’s position with the guidance station up to a hundred meters or more away from the missile launch positions thanks to compact portable reels with a cable that could be unwound to the required length if necessary, which significantly complicated the task of neutralizing the missile operators for the opposing side. [ source not 174 days indicated
]
Anti-tank missiles for barrel systems
Main article: Anti-tank guided missile
In the United States in the 1950s, work was underway to create anti-tank guided missiles for firing from recoilless infantry barrel systems (since the development of unguided ammunition had already reached its limit in terms of effective firing range). The management of these projects was taken over by the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (for all other projects of anti-tank missiles launched from guides, from a launch tube or a tank gun, the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama was responsible), practical implementation went in two main directions - 1) “ Gap" (eng. GAP, back from guided antitank projectile
) - guidance on the sustainer and terminal sections of the projectile’s flight path, 2) “TCP” (eng. TCP,
terminally corrected projectile
) - guidance only on the terminal section of the projectile’s flight path[22].
A number of weapons created within the framework of these programs and implementing the principles of wire guidance (“Sidekick”), radio command guidance (“Shilleila”) and semi-active homing with radar illumination of the target (“Polcat”), successfully passed tests and were manufactured in pilot batches, but the matter did not reach large-scale production. Since the late 1950s.
ATGMs began to be created for launching from the barrel of a tank gun. In addition, first in the USA and then in the USSR, guided weapon systems for tanks and combat vehicles with barrel weapons (KUV or KUVT) were developed, which are a feathered anti-tank guided projectile (in the dimensions of a conventional tank projectile ), launched from a tank gun and interfaced with the corresponding control system. The control equipment for such an ATGM is integrated into the tank’s sighting system. American complexes (eng. Combat Vehicle Weapon System
) from the very beginning of their development, that is, from the late 1950s, they used a radio command guidance system, Soviet complexes from the moment they began development until the mid-1970s. implemented a wire guidance system. Both American and Soviet KUVT made it possible to use a tank gun for its main purpose, that is, to fire ordinary armor-piercing or high-explosive fragmentation shells, which significantly and qualitatively increased the fire capabilities of the tank in comparison with combat vehicles equipped with ATGMs launched from external guides.
In the USSR, and then Russia, the main developers of anti-tank missile systems are the Tula Instrument Design Bureau and the Kolomenskoe Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau.
Development prospects
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Prospects for the development of ATGMs are associated with the transition to “fire and forget” systems (with homing heads), increasing the noise immunity of the control channel, hitting armored vehicles in the least protected parts (thin upper armor), installing tandem ones (to overcome dynamic protection), using a chassis with a launcher on the mast.
LONG-RANGE MULTI-PURPOSE MISSILE SYSTEM
[/td]
Designed to destroy modern and advanced tanks equipped with dynamic protection, lightly armored vehicles, fortifications, surface, low-speed air targets (helicopters, drones, attacking attack aircraft) at any time of the day, in difficult weather conditions and in conditions of enemy-organized radio-electronic and optical interference .Firing range| minimum………………………. | 150 m |
| maximum…………………….. | 10000 m |
| Armor penetration of a cumulative warhead beyond DZ………….. | 1100 – 1300 mm |
| TNT equivalent of high explosive warhead……………………………. | not less than 7 kg |
| Control system ……………… | automatic, by laser beam |
| Noise immunity…………… | high |
| Number of simultaneously fired targets in one gulp………………………………………………………. | 2 pcs. |
| Ammunition ………………………….. | 16 pcs. |
| including those ready to fire………………… | 8 pcs. |
- Automatic launcher;
Pointing angles
| - along the horizon……………………….. | ±180 deg. |
| -vertically ……………………… | from -5... +45 degrees. |
| Fields of view | |
| TV channel | |
| -wide-field……………….. | 4x4 deg. |
| -narrow-field…………………….. | 1x1 deg. |
| - rangefinder viewing channel ………………………….. | 15x20 deg. |
| thermal imaging channel | |
| - wide-field ………………… | 5.9x7.3 degrees. |
| -narrow-field………………………. | 1.9x2.4 degrees. |
| Range of measured distances……………………………. | 200-15000 m |
| Tracking error RMS at 10 km …………………………. | 0.3 m |
| Module mass……………………….. | 75.2 kg |
- Guided missiles in a container.
- Integrated control system with automatic target tracking.
- Guides, with four guided missiles placed.
- Stand with vertical and horizontal guidance drives.
- Raising and lowering mechanism.
Tele-thermal imaging sight.
| Range of flight ………………………………….. | 150 – 8000 m |
| Armor penetration……………………………. | 1100 – 1300 mm |
| Weight with container…………………………….. | 31 kg |
| Container length…………………………………. | 1210 mm |
| Range of flight ………………………………….. | 150 – 10000 m |
| TNT equivalent…………………………. | 7 kg |
| Weight with container…………………………….. | 33 kg |
| Container length…………………………………. | 1210 mm |
| Test equipment for testing an automated launcher |
| Operators are trained in basic combat skills using a cool PC-based simulator, which is a complex operator’s workstation with a monitor. The simulator is programmed with training tasks that provide self-learning and documentation of learning results. |
- Hitting targets automatically reduces the psychophysical stress on operators, the requirements for their qualifications, and also reduces the time for their preparation.
- Simultaneous salvo firing at two targets significantly increases the rate of fire and fire performance of the complex.
- Firing two missiles in one beam to hit particularly dangerous targets, including those equipped with active protection systems.
- A twofold (up to 10 km) increase in firing range compared to the Kornet-E ATGM, while the guidance accuracy increases up to 5 times.
- Expanding the capabilities of ATGMs by hitting small air targets (helicopters, drones, attacking attack aircraft).
- The Kornet-EM complex can be placed on a wide range of low-capacity carriers (1 pc. APU 0.8-1.0 t; 2 pcs. APU 1.2-1.5 t).
- The complex provides firing of all types of missiles of the Kornet family.
Anti-tank missile system "Kornet"
The complex includes:
- 9M133-1 guided missiles (see diagram) with tandem-cumulative and thermobaric warheads;
- launchers: portable 9P163M-1 (see.
) and multi-charged, placed on light carriers (see combined
); - thermal imaging sight;
- maintenance facilities;
- educational and training facilities.
Rocket 9M133 (see.
,
) is made according to the canard aerodynamic configuration with two rudders located in front, opening from niches forward in flight. The leading charge of a tandem warhead and elements of an air-dynamic drive of a semi-open design with a frontal air intake are located in the front part of the rocket body. Further, in the middle compartment of the rocket there is a solid propellant jet engine with air intake channels and a tail arrangement of two oblique nozzles. The main cumulative warhead is located behind the solid propellant rocket engine. In the tail section there are elements of the control system, including a photodetector of laser radiation. Four folding wings made of thin sheets of steel, which open after launch under the influence of their own elastic forces, are placed on the body of the tail section and are located at an angle of 45° relative to the rudders. The ATGM and expulsion propulsion system are placed in a sealed plastic TPK with hinged covers and a handle. The storage time of ATGMs in TPK without verification is up to 10 years.
The powerful tandem cumulative warhead of the 9M133-1 ATGM is capable of hitting all modern and future enemy tanks, including those equipped with mounted or built-in dynamic protection, and also penetrates concrete monoliths and prefabricated reinforced concrete structures 3 - 3.5 m thick. A distinctive feature of the layout ATGM 9M133-1 - placement of the main engine between the leading and main shaped charges, which, on the one hand, protects the main charge from fragments of the leading charge, increases the focal length and, as a result, increases armor penetration, and on the other hand, allows you to have a powerful leading charge, ensuring overcoming mounted and built-in dynamic protection. , providing reliable overcoming of mounted and built-in dynamic protection. The probability of hitting such tanks as M1A2 Abrams, Leclerc, Challenger-2, Leopard-2A5, Merkava Mk.3V with a 9M133 missile of the Kornet-P/T complexes at a firing angle of ±90° is on average 0.70 - 0.80, that is, the cost of destroying each tank is one - two missiles. In addition, a tandem cumulative warhead is capable of penetrating concrete monoliths and prefabricated reinforced concrete structures with a thickness of at least 3 - 3.5 m. Moreover, the high level of pressure that develops when a cumulative warhead collides with a target, both in the axial and radial directions, leads to crushing of concrete in the areas of the cumulative jet, breaking out the back layer of the barrier and, as a consequence, high barrier action.
For the Kornet complex, a 9M133F (9M133F-1) missile was created with a high-explosive thermobaric warhead, which in terms of weight and dimensions is completely identical to the missile with a cumulative warhead. Thermobaric warhead has a large radius of damage by the shock wave and high temperature of the explosion products. When such warheads explode, a shock wave that is more extended in space and time than traditional explosives is formed. Such a wave is caused by the sequential involvement of air oxygen in the process of detonation transformations; it penetrates behind obstacles, into trenches, through embrasures, etc., striking manpower, including protected ones. In the zone of detonation transformations of the thermobaric mixture, almost complete combustion of oxygen occurs and a temperature of 800 - 850°C develops. The thermobaric warhead of the 9M133F (9M133F-1) missile with a TNT-equivalent of 10 kg, in its high-explosive and incendiary effects on the target, is not inferior to the standard 152 mm OFS warhead. The need for such warheads on high-precision weapons is confirmed by the experience of local conflicts. The Kornet ATGM, thanks to the 9M133F ATGM (9M113F-1), has become a powerful assault weapon, which is capable of effectively destroying fortifications (bunkers, pillboxes, bunkers) within the city, in the mountains, and in the field. enemy assets and manpower located in residential and commercial buildings and structures, behind their fragments, in folds of terrain, trenches and premises, as well as destroy these objects, vehicles and lightly armored equipment, causing damage to them and in open areas, in the presence of flammable materials , fires.
The portable version of the Kornet-E ATGM is mounted on a 9P163M-1 launcher, which consists of a tripod machine with high-precision mechanical drives, a 1P45M-1 sight-guidance device and a missile launching mechanism. The sight-guidance device is periscope: the device itself is installed in a container under the PU cradle, the rotating eyepiece is at the bottom left. The ATGM is installed on the cradle on top of the launcher and is replaced manually after firing. The height of the firing line can vary widely, and this allows you to fire from different positions (lying, sitting, from a trench or a building window) and adapt to the terrain.
To ensure shooting at night, the portable complex can use thermal imaging (TPV) sights developed by NPO GIPO. The export version of the Kornet-E complex is offered with the 1PN79M Metis-2 thermal imaging sight. The sight consists of an optical-electronic unit with an infrared wavelength receiver, controls and a gas-cylinder cooling system. A nickel-cadmium battery is used as a power source. The detection range of MBT type targets is up to 4000m, recognition range is 2500m, field of view is 2.8°x4.6°. The device operates in the wavelength range 8 - 13 μm, has a total mass of 11 kg, and the dimensions of the optical-electronic unit are 590 x 212 x 200 mm. A cooling system cylinder is attached to the rear of the TPV sight, and the lens is covered with a hinged cover. The sight is mounted on the right side of the launcher. There is also a lightweight version of this TPV - 1PN79M-1 with a weight of 8.5 kg. For the version of the Kornet-P complex intended for the Russian army, there is a 1PN80 Kornet-TP TPV sight, which allows firing not only at night, but also when the enemy uses combat smoke. The detection range of a “tank” type target is up to 5000 meters, recognition range is up to 3500 m.
For transportation of the Kornet complex and ease of operation by the combat crew, the PU 9P163M-1 is folded into a compact traveling position, and the thermal imaging sight is placed in the pack device. Launcher weight - 25 kg. It can be delivered to a combat zone by any type of transport. If necessary, using an adapter bracket, the Kornet complex with the 9P163M-1 launcher can be easily installed on any movable carriers.
The Kornet complex implements the principle of direct missile attack into the frontal projection of a target with a semi-automatic control system and missile guidance using a laser beam. The functions of the operator during combat work are reduced to detecting a target through an optical or thermal imaging sight, tracking it, firing a shot and keeping the sight crosshair on the target until it is hit. The launch of the rocket after launch onto the line of sight (the axis of the laser beam) and its further retention on it occur automatically.
The complex provides almost complete noise immunity from active and passive (in the form of combat smoke) optical interference. High protection from enemy active optical interference is achieved due to the fact that the missile's photodetector is facing the firing system. In the presence of combat smoke, the operator almost always observes the target through a thermal imaging sight, and the “see-shoot” principle is ensured by the high energy potential of the laser-beam control channel.
The complex is multi-purpose, i.e. its characteristics do not depend on the type of target signatures in the optical and infrared range of electromagnetic waves. Equipping guided missiles with a thermobaric or high-explosive warhead makes it possible to hit a large class of targets - engineering structures, bunkers, bunkers, machine gun nests, etc. Such capabilities are not available in the ATGW-3/LR long-range complex being developed in the West due to the use of passive homing with target acquisition by the missile seeker at launch due to the low thermal signature of such targets. The cost of 9M133-1 missiles is 3-4 times less than the cost of missiles of the ATGW-3/LR complex, and with the same combat effectiveness and the same amount of money spent, the Kornet complex can hit 3-4 times more targets.
Advantages and application features:
- versatility of use, hitting all targets outside the zone of effective enemy return fire;
- ensuring combat work in the “prone”, “kneeling”, “standing in a trench” position, from prepared and unprepared firing positions;
- 24-hour use, defeating all specified types of targets day and night;
- coding of laser radiation allows two launchers to conduct simultaneous cross and parallel firing at two closely located targets;
- complete protection from radiation from optical interference stations such as Shtora-1 (Russia), Pomals Piano Violin Mk1 (Israel);
- possibility of placement on a wide class of various wheeled and tracked vehicles;
- salvo firing of two missiles at one target from an automated launcher increases the probability of hitting a target and ensures that active defense systems are overcome;
- The principle of missile guidance implemented in the control system in a laser beam allows firing on the move from prepared and unprepared positions (including from light sandy soil, salt marshes, on the sea coast, over the water surface) in the presence of stabilization of the line of sight;
- guided missiles do not require maintenance during operation and storage for 10 years.
Educational and training facilities include field and classroom computer simulators. Maintenance tools allow you to check the health of the launcher and thermal imaging sight.
In addition to the portable version based on the Kornet ATGM, the following variants of the complex have been developed:
Single combat module (CMM) “Cleaver” with combined missile and gun armament. The module (see) has four Kornet ATGM launchers, a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon (firing range 4000m, rate of fire 350-400 rounds per minute). The total weight of the turret is about 1500 kg, including ammunition and missiles. The control system includes a ballistic computer, night vision devices, a laser rangefinder and a stabilization system. Horizontal guidance angle - 360°, vertical - from -10° to +60°. Ammunition - 12 missiles, 8 of them in the automatic loader. The Cleaver MBM is designed to equip a wide range of light-weight combat vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and can be placed on small ships, including coast guard boats, as well as permanently. The combat module is a tower structure located on the shoulder strap, the dimensions of which are similar to the dimensions of the BMP-1 shoulder strap. The weight of the module and small shoulder straps allow the Cleaver to be used as a universal weapon system placed on light-weight combat vehicles, including BMP-1, BMP-2, BTR-80, Pandur, Piranha, Fahd. . "Cleaver" has a perfect automated fire control system, which includes a sight stabilized in two planes with sighting-rangefinder, thermal imaging and laser channels (laser sight - guidance device 1K13-2), a ballistic computer with a system of external information sensors, as well as a block stabilization system weapons in two planes. This makes it possible to fire guided weapons from a standstill, on the move and afloat, at ground, air and surface targets, surpassing existing combat vehicles in firepower, including the modern M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. An important advantage of this development is the ability to install the module on most media in customer repair organizations without modifying the transport base.
Automated PU 9P163-2 “Quartet” with four guides and electromechanical drives based on a lightweight carrier (see). The installation includes: a turret with four guides for missiles, a sight-guidance device 1P45M-1, a thermal imaging sight 1PN79M-1, an electronic module and an operator’s station. The ammunition rack is placed separately. The 9P163-2 launcher is in constant combat readiness and can fire up to four shots without reloading, firing in a “volley” of two missiles in one beam at one target. It is characterized by simplified search and target tracking using electromechanical drives. The guidance range of the 9P163-2 launcher is ±180° horizontally, vertically – from -10° to +15°. The weight of the 9P163-2 launcher with a fire control system is 480 kg. Rate of fire 1-2 rounds/min. Of the chassis already tested by the State Unitary Enterprise KBP for the 9P163-2 “Quartet” launcher are the American Hummer armored car and the French VBL type armored vehicle.
9P162 combat vehicle based on the BMP-3 chassis. The BM 9P162 is equipped with an automatic loader, which allows you to automate the process of preparing for combat work and minimize reloading time. The loading mechanism can accommodate up to 12 missiles plus 4 anti-tank missiles in mounts.
Two guides allow you to fire two missiles in one beam at one particularly dangerous target. The retractable installation, guided in two planes, includes two guides for suspending transport and launch containers with missiles, on top of which blocks with guidance equipment are placed. Two guides allow you to fire two missiles in one beam at one particularly dangerous target. They provide horizontal guidance angles of 360° and vertical guidance from -15° to +60°. BM 9P162 floating, air transportable. The body of the combat vehicle is made of aluminum armor alloys. The most important projections are reinforced with rolled steel armor in such a way that they represent spaced armor barriers. The weight of BM 9P162 is less than 18 tons. Maximum speed on the highway is 72 km/h (on a dirt road - 52 km/h, afloat - 10 km/h). Power reserve - 600 - 650 km. Crew (crew) - 2 people (commander-operator of the complex and driver).
Options have been developed for placing the portable-portable complex “Kornet-P” (“Kornet-E”) on open vehicles. In particular, the West self-propelled anti-tank complex was created on the chassis of a UAZ-3151 vehicle. In addition, similar placement of the complex is possible on GAZ-2975 “Tiger”, UAZ-3132 “Gussar”, “Scorpion”, etc.
In addition, the State Unitary Enterprise "Instrument Engineering Design Bureau" has developed a project (see.
) modernization of outdated BMP-2, including equipping the third generation ATGM combat vehicle "Kornet-E" and installing a combined gunner's sight 1K13-2 (while maintaining the hull and internal layout of the turret). Calculations of the effectiveness of groupings of the modernized BMP-2M in combat, both during autonomous operations and with the support of tanks, show that with an equal probability of completing a combat mission, the required number of combat vehicles can be reduced by 3.8-4 times. This is achieved due to the higher probability of hitting 9M133-1 ATGM tanks, their larger ammunition load, and effective firing at night. The technical solutions incorporated in the modernization of the fighting compartment determine its advantages over the standard fighting compartment of the BMP-2 in terms of weapon potential by an average of 3-3.5 times. The BMP-2, re-equipped according to this version, reaches the level of combat power of the best modern infantry fighting vehicles, and has a clear superiority in terms of the ability to destroy tanks and other targets with a guided missile.
Classification
The Stryker ATGM device in a longitudinal section (normal aerodynamic design)
ATGMs can be classified:
by type of guidance system
- operator-guided (with command guidance system)
- homing
by control channel type
- wire controlled
- laser controlled
- radio controlled
Aiming a missile at a target using an optical-mechanical sighting device
by pointing method
- manual: the operator “pilots” the missile until it hits the target;
- semi-automatic: the operator in the sight accompanies the target, the equipment automatically tracks the flight of the missile (usually using the tail tracer) and generates the necessary control commands for it;
- automatic: the missile automatically aims at a given target.
by mobility category
portable
- worn by the operator alone
- transferred by calculation
- disassembled
- assembled, ready for combat use
- towed
- self-propelled
- integrated
- removable combat modules
- transported in a body or on a platform
aviation
- helicopter
- aircraft
- unmanned aerial vehicles;
by generation of development
The following generations of ATGM development are distinguished:
- The first generation
(tracking both the target and the missile itself) - completely manual control (MCLOS - manual command to line of sight): the operator (most often with a joystick) controlled the flight of the missile by wire until it hit the target. At the same time, in order to avoid contact of sagging wires with interference, it is necessary to be in direct visibility of the target and above possible interference (for example, grass or treetops) for the entire long flight time of the missile (up to 30 seconds), which reduces the operator’s protection from return fire. The first generation ATGMs (SS-10, “Malyutka”, Nord SS.10) required highly qualified operators, control was carried out by wire, however, due to their relative compactness and high efficiency, ATGMs led to the revival and new flourishing of highly specialized “tank destroyers” - helicopters, light armored vehicles and SUVs. - The second generation
(target tracking) - the so-called SACLOS (English Semi-automatic command to line of sight; semi-automatic control) required the operator to only hold the aiming mark on the target, while the flight of the missile was controlled by automation, sending control commands to the missile via wires, radio channel or laser beam. However, the operator still had to remain motionless during the flight, and control by wire forced him to plan the rocket’s flight path away from possible interference. Such missiles were launched, as a rule, from a dominant height, when the target was below the operator's level. Representatives: "Competition" and Hellfire I; generation 2+ - “Cornet”. - Third generation
(homing) - implements the “fire and forget” principle: after the shot the operator is not constrained in movement. Guidance is carried out either by illumination with a laser beam from the side, or it is equipped with an ATGM, or a millimeter range one. These missiles do not require an operator to accompany them in flight, but they are less resistant to interference than the first generations (MCLOS and SACLOS). Representatives: Javelin (USA), Spike (Israel), LAHAT (Israel), (Germany), Nag (India), Hongjian-12 (China). - The fourth generation
(self-launching) are promising fully autonomous robotic combat systems in which the human operator is absent as a link. Software and hardware systems allow them to independently detect, recognize, identify and make a decision to fire at a target. Currently under development and testing with varying degrees of success in different countries.
The French put both the Javelins and the Cornet to shame
The military portal Armyrecognition.com reported that the new French anti-tank missile system MMP (Missile Moyenne Portee) outdid itself during testing. Two missiles hit the target at a distance of 5000 meters, while the developers designated the maximum firing range as 4100 meters. Moreover, the shooting was carried out in “the most severe conditions.”
The MMP ATGM is of interest for a more detailed look at it due to two circumstances. Firstly, MBDA created the complex in record time. Two years after the start of development, in 2013, the French Ministry of Defense signed a contract for the acquisition of MMP. Moreover, the complex has not yet been tested. Moreover, in 2012, the army began a large-scale replacement of the outdated Milan ATGM with the vaunted American Javelin, and, it would seem, it was this complex that was supposed to cancel out French developments in this area. In 2017, deliveries of SMRs began, as a result of which the French will abandon the Javelin in the foreseeable future.
Secondly, the MMP not only belongs to a new generation of ATGMs, but it uses an original concept that has not been used by anyone else. This makes the complex universal, capable of being used in a wide variety of combat conditions and against a diverse set of targets.
That is, MMP affects not only tanks (a tandem warhead penetrates 1000 mm of homogeneous armor), but also other firing points, including non-contrast ones, and defensive structures (pierces two-meter thick concrete slabs). At the same time, there is a “causing minimal damage” mode, in which the missile operates in kinetic mode with the fuse disabled.
The complex is best adapted to urban combat conditions. The rocket can be launched from an enclosed space. To minimize the impact of the shock wave during launch, the rocket leaves the transport and launch container due to the activation of a low-power launch accelerator. And only then the solid propellant propulsion engine turns on.
The method of targeting is complex. There is an uncooled thermal imaging and television seeker. There is a fiber optic cable. And there is an inertial guidance method. A laser rangefinder is also used, which in some modes is used to illuminate the target.
That is, the operator chooses the method of missile guidance that is most effective in specific conditions.
The launcher, which houses a transport and launch container weighing 15 kg and 1.4 m long, is equipped, like the Javelin, with optoelectronic aiming equipment. But since the seeker is not cooled, the operator does not need to keep the target in the sight for up to 30 seconds. Thus, the “fire and forget” principle is implemented. There is also a semi-automatic mode, in which the operator must hold the aiming mark on the target, that is, illuminate it with a laser.
There is a mode in which the missile is launched in the direction of the target, which is invisible to the operator. As the missile approaches the target, the operator begins to see its image and turns on the target acquisition mode of the seeker or begins to accompany the missile in manual mode. Moreover, options for retargeting the missile during its flight are possible. All video information comes from the rocket via cable. It also transmits flight control commands in the opposite direction.
As we can see, the French complex simultaneously uses the firing principles of both the third generation ATGM (“fire and forget”) and the second (missile tracking using laser illumination or radio command method).
According to the developers, in the case of fighting tanks, the MMR missile attacks the target from above in order to hit the least protected upper projection of armored vehicles. This is a significant advantage, in which less power of the warhead is required to penetrate armor.
Currently, the development company is creating a modification of the ATGM to be placed on various platforms - from tracked to wheeled.
The French Ministry of Defense intends to purchase 400 SMR launchers and 2,850 missiles over the course of several years.
The complex is, of course, interesting due to its wide versatility. But it has a weak point compared to the Javelin. The thermal imaging seeker is easier to deal with using laser countermeasures than the matrix seeker that the Javelin is equipped with. Because the American missile is heading for the “thermal portrait” of the target, and it is very difficult to confuse it with the dance of bright spots.
At the same time, the Javelin is not perfect. And he has weaknesses. The goals with which he works must be contrasting. And if the contrast is insufficient, the seeker may lose its target and fly off in an unknown direction. In addition, the American complex will be practically powerless against the new generation of tanks, to which the T-14 Armata belongs. Because this tank is capable of changing its thermal appearance, “portrait”.
And the range of the “American” is very mediocre - only 2.5 km. The thermal imaging matrix is simply not capable of seeing further. For comparison, the range of the Russian Kornet ATGM, which belongs to generation 2+, is 5.5 km. Well, in the Kornet-D modification it has been increased to 10 km.
Since there is no weapon that does not have shortcomings, the Kornet also has them. Although this is a very formidable weapon, it demonstrated its capabilities in Syria. The French acted wisely by taking the strongest qualities from the 3rd and 2nd generations of ATGMs.
Our defense industry finally decided to follow the same path. At the end of the year before last, the head of the Missile Forces and Artillery of the Russian Army, Lieutenant General Mikhail Matveevsky, told TASS about the upcoming development of a new generation ATGM.
This will be a self-propelled complex in which the “fire and forget” principle should be implemented. That is, the task of pointing the missile at the target will be solved not by the crew, but by the missile’s automation. “The development of anti-tank systems,” Matveevsky clarified, “is moving in the direction of increasing combat performance, missile immunity, automating the process of controlling anti-tank units and increasing the power of combat units.”
At the same time, in the new complex, in no case should one abandon the technical achievements of the Tula Instrument Design Bureau, which developed the Kornet. In this complex, missile guidance and tracking is carried out using a laser beam.
First of all, this is the record range that was mentioned.
The missile is extremely difficult to intercept because it flies in a spiral at a high speed of 300 m/s (for the Javelin it is 180 m/s).
The attacked object cannot detect laser irradiation, since the beam remains 2-3 meters above the target level almost until the end of the flight.
"Cornet", like the French complex, is capable of attacking any targets, not just those emitting heat. In this connection, missiles are produced with various warheads, including concrete-piercing and thermobaric ones.
The Kornet has another significant advantage over the Javelin. American missiles are not capable of flying one after another with a minimum period of time, since the seeker of the second missile will blind the flame of the engine of the first, leading one. In the Russian ATGM, two missiles are launched in one beam in order to breach the active protection of the tank. It involves defeating incoming ammunition by firing a grenade. So, the first Kornet missile will trigger the active protection of the tank, which will not have time to react to the second missile. This capability was ahead of its time, since in 1998, when the Russian ATGM entered service, active defense did not exist in the world. And only now it appeared on the Armata and the Israeli Merkava tank. Now the Israelis are equipping American Abrams with it.
All these advantages must be transferred to the promising Russian ATGM, so as not to step on the same rake that American designers stepped on 20 years ago. The French prudently avoided this rake.
Four generations
Experts distinguish four generations of ATGMs, which differ fundamentally in their guidance systems. The first generation involves a command control system with manual guidance by wire. The second is distinguished by semi-automatic command guidance via wires/laser beam. The third generation ATGM implements a “fire and forget” guidance scheme with memory of the target contour, which allows the operator to only aim, fire and immediately leave the position. In the near future, the fourth generation of ATGMs will be developed, which in its combat characteristics will resemble LM (Loitering Munition) class loitering shells. It will include integrated means of transmitting images from the homing head (GOS) of an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) to the operator's console, which will significantly improve accuracy.
Despite the fact that the armies of many countries are striving to switch to third-generation ATGMs, there remains a high demand for second-generation systems. The reason is their widespread use in the military and their significantly lower cost. Another factor is the comparability and even superior penetration level of the latest modifications of many second-generation ATGMs in comparison with third-generation complexes. And finally, the analysis of the experience of military clashes in urban conditions became a serious factor. Based on it, anti-tank missiles of second-generation complexes are armed with cheaper high-explosive and thermobaric warheads (warheads) for the destruction of bunkers and various fortifications, as well as for use in urban battles.
Better than Javelin?
The Kornet ATGM is equipped with a whole arsenal of missiles of the 9M family, starting from 9M133 (damage range - 5,000-5,500 meters) and ending with 9M133FM-3, which flies ten kilometers. Missiles have different types of warheads. There are tandem-cumulative, high-explosive, thermobaric to destroy infantry and lightly armored vehicles.
There was no combat use of the Kornet ATGM by the Russian army. But the anti-tank systems in service in 13 countries around the world have already fought actively and, importantly, effectively.
What is the American Javelin anti-tank system? More details
The Russian Kornet is often compared to the American Javelin ATGM. They are practically the same age, and they “fought” in almost the same places. The Javelin, which fires at a distance of 2.5 kilometers, is almost 4 times inferior to the Kornet in range. The difference in cost is also obvious: a portable version of the American ATGM costs 200 thousand dollars, the cost of producing the Kornet is ten times less. But at the same time, the “fire and forget” principle was initially laid down for the Javelin, that is, the operator only needs to detect a target on the battlefield, take aim at it, launch it, and then leave the position, after which the ammunition itself will find and hit the target. This significantly increases the crew's chances of surviving after returning fire. For the Kornet, you need to keep the target in the crosshairs throughout the entire flight until the missile hits.
Description
Kornet-T during combat training classes for artillery units at the 1000th training center for the combat use of missile forces and artillery of the Ground Forces (Kolomna).
The missile is made according to the “duck” aerodynamic design, two rudder wheels that drop out of the niches are located in its front compartment, where the leading charge of a tandem cumulative warhead (WCU) and air-dynamic drive units of the rudder with a frontal air intake are also located. In the middle part of the rocket there is a solid propellant engine with two oblique nozzles, behind which is the main cumulative warhead. Elements of the missile control system, including a photodetector of laser radiation, are installed in the tail section of the missile; four folding thin steel wings are also attached to the tail section of the body, which open after the missile exits the transport and launch container (TPC) under the influence of elastic forces of the wing material. The wings are located at an angle of 45° relative to the rudders. The ATGM together with the expelling charge are placed in a sealed TPK, which has hinged covers and a handle. The rocket body and folding rudders are metal, the TPK material is plastic. The shelf life of the missile in the TPK without routine checks is 10 years.
ATGM 9M133
equipped with a tandem cumulative warhead, the main warhead is located behind the rocket engine to provide the required focal length when forming a cumulative jet. For the same purpose, the body of the solid propellant rocket engine is made in a ring shape with a hollow central channel for the passage of a high-speed jet through it.
In addition to the cumulative warhead, it is possible to equip missiles with a thermobaric warhead ( 9M133F
) to destroy various engineering structures and firing points.
Missile launcher 9P163M-1
placed on a tripod machine and includes a sight capable of operating in optical and infrared modes, a laser range finder, an optical laser device, as well as an automatic target tracking system with guidance drives. The complex can fire at moving and stationary ground, sea surface and air targets. In addition to the infantry installation, the Kornet is included in the BMP-2M weapons complex, as well as the Cleaver combat module, and can be placed on the BMP-3 chassis and in Tiger armored vehicles. It is possible to use a remote control to launch rockets at a distance of up to 50 meters.
The rocket's flight path is a spiral. Anti-interference automatic missile guidance with tele-orientation in the laser beam.
To overcome the means of dynamic and active protection of targets, the ATGM supports the simultaneous launch of two missiles in one laser beam with delays between missile launches less than the response time of the protective systems. To block the possibility of setting up a protective smoke screen to detect laser irradiation, the ATGM crew keeps the laser beam 2-3 meters above the target for most of the flight.
Universal Soldier
Today in the whole world there are no tanks capable of resisting the Russian Kornets. This missile system is capable of penetrating armor steel more than 1 m thick, but tanks with such armor simply do not exist. The reliability and effectiveness of the Kornet family of anti-tank systems is recognized by experts all over the world. To the gunsmiths of the Tula Instrument Engineering Design Bureau named after A.G. Shipunov (High-Precision Complexes holding) managed to create a simple and yet powerful complex, which in its modern design becomes a threat not only to tank units, but also to a wide range of other targets that may appear on the battlefield and above it.
The idea of the possibility of hitting air targets from anti-tank systems was proposed by the general designer of the KBP, Arkady Georgievich Shipunov himself. Previous developments from Tula - the Konkurs, Metis and Kornet-E ATGMs - could also shoot down hovering helicopters. But it was in the Kornet-EM modification that the ability to combat low-speed airborne objects was realized. And in addition to helicopters, this class also includes drones and attack aircraft during an attack. And if we take into account that “Kornet-EM” can “work” against surface targets, then in the end we get a unique multi-purpose complex that no longer fits into the framework of the term “ATGM”.
A guided missile equipped with a non-contact target sensor (NDS) allows you to hit moving air targets. Air targets are highly maneuverable objects, and at long distances a direct hit from an anti-tank missile system on them is difficult. But a non-contact target sensor allows a missile to explode even in the absence of a direct hit. When a missile flies at a distance of up to 3 meters from the target, the NDC gives a command to detonate the warhead, and the destruction of the air target occurs due to the high-explosive action of the missile warhead.
Performance characteristics
- Maximum firing range: During the day - 5500 m
- At night - 3500 m
- Transport and launch container with missile: 29 kg
- Tandem cumulative: Explosive mass: 4.6 kg
- Kornet-E - 1300 mm homogeneous armor
- Weight: 11 kg
- Horizontal: 360/180°
- “Cornet” from −50° to +50° С
