Specialists of the National Liberation Army of China and engineers of the Chinese defense industry are closely monitoring the progress of the Special Military Operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, tracking the practical capabilities of Russian weapons in real combat conditions. They are well aware that the 9K135 Kornet anti-tank missile system (according to the NATO AT–14 Spriggan classification, hereinafter referred to as the Kornet ATGM) was developed by specialists from the Tula KBP as a replacement for the obsolete 9K133 Konkurs complex (according to the NATO AT-5 classification). The 9K135 complex was first introduced in October 1994.
To date, the Kornet ATGM has been delivered to the following countries: Algeria, Greece, India, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (52 launchers and 500 missiles for 62.46 million US dollars), the Syrian Arab Republic, Republic of Turkey (80 launchers and 800 missiles for $70 million)USA) and Eritrea.
It has been reliably established that by 2019, specialists from the military-industrial complex of the Islamic Republic of Iran had completed work on copying the Kornet ATGM. The Iranian version was designated "Dehlavieh," which has been transferred to pro-Iranian forces in Syria, Yemen, and Hezbollah units since 2020.
To date, several models of anti-tank guided missiles are being mass-produced in the Russian Federation.:
- 9M133FM-1 for ground-based launchers (carried or mounted on Tiger, BMD-4M armored vehicles, as well as in combat modules of the Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicle or the Boomerang armored personnel carrier) and
ATGM "Kornet" on the chassis of the BM "Tiger"
- 9M133FM-3 for use with Orion/Pacer type reconnaissance and attack UAVs.
It is well known that the modified missiles have a flight speed increased to 320 m/s and can hit targets at a range of up to 10,000 m.
It should be noted that the 9M133 series missiles have three warhead options, namely:
- anti-tank (penetrates up to 1300 mm of homogeneous armor or reinforced concrete structure up to 3.5 m thick at a range of up to 8000 m);
- Volumetric detonating (designed to destroy unarmored vehicles, enemy manpower in trenches/ shelters, long-term firing points, buildings and even helicopters at a range of up to 8000 m);
- high-explosive fragmentation (launch range up to 10,000 m).
Portable air defense system and 9M133 anti-tank missile
The firepower of all three warhead models is comparable to a charge weighing 10 kg of TNT. The high efficiency of the second modification of the warhead is provided by a remote fuse. All rockets are equipped with two types of fuses – contact and remote.
The positive aspects of the Kornet ATGM include the following:
- lack of a wired guidance system;
- versatility;
- the highest resistance to natural and artificial interference (guaranteed to overcome the effects of the Shtora-1 system installed on T-90 tanks);
- easy to maintain.
World experience in the combat use of the Kornet ATGM
According to sources, in 2006, Hezbollah detachments repeatedly used Kornet ATGMs against Merkava tanks. In 2016, defeats of the M1A2 Abrams tank from this ATGM were recorded in Iraq. In 2018, Kurdish detachments in Syria actively used "Cornet" to fight Leopard 2A4 tanks (at least 10 tanks were destroyed after hitting the side or the rear section of the tower) and for raids on the positions of T-155 Firtin self-propelled artillery units (a hit is guaranteed to cause detonation of ammunition and complete destruction of self-propelled guns) Of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Turkey.
The use of the Kornet ATGM in Syria
Experience of use during a special military operation
In February-April 2022, the 9K135 ATGM allowed the combined detachment of the airborne troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which captured Gostmel airfield, to repel attacks by superior forces of armored units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
In March and June 2022, Orion/Pacer reconnaissance and strike UAVs using 9M133FM-3 missiles repeatedly destroyed firing points of the nationalist Aidar battalion (banned in the Russian Federation) and armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Kornet ATGM crew enters the firing position
During the fighting in the Kherson region in September 2022, units of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation systematically used the Kornet ATGM to combat the advancing units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In October 2022, while repelling an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to land on the territory of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.
In November 2022, during the battles for the village of Vodiane, units of the private military company Wagner actively used the Kornet ATGM with missiles equipped with volume-detonating warheads to destroy long-term enemy firing points.
As part of the offensive on Bakhmut/Artyomovsk Russian units actively used the 9K135 ATGM, relying on intelligence data obtained from sniper scouts or from quadcopter operators.
In addition to the above, we note that the Chinese defense industry is promoting the Krasnaya Strela-9A ATGM to the global arms market, which in some respects is slightly better than the Russian Kornet, but the tactical and technical characteristics of the Chinese ATGM have not yet been tested during a real armed conflict.
Based on the materials of Chinese specialized military-technical publications
