Al Jazeera: ATGM "Kornet" will destroy Western "Leopards" and "Abrams" in UkraineThe West is increasing military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
But the Kornet ATGM will overcome all the obstacles that the Russian army faces on the battlefield, writes Al Jazeera. This anti-tank system has already proven its effectiveness in armed conflicts in the Middle East.
When Ukraine received the first improved German Leopard tank, its allies gave the first signal about the creation of a Great Tank Alliance, but Russia has a means in its arsenal to overcome this obstacle that it faces on the battlefield.
On February 24, the first anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, Poland announced the delivery of the first batch of the famous Leopard-2 tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have comprehensive protection against improvised explosive devices, mines and missiles.
It is expected that other NATO countries will determine their position on the continuation of the supply of weapons and military equipment by sending batches of advanced tanks led by the American Abrams, which the Pentagon calls the best in the world, and its counterpart Challenger, the jewel of the British crown of the ground forces.
Despite these accelerated steps, accompanied by the intensification of hostilities on the eastern front of Ukraine, Kiev's allies have repeatedly expressed fears that some military supplies could lead to an escalation of the conflict and turn it into a full-scale confrontation with the "Russian bear".
The Russian threat
Moscow has repeatedly, without hesitation, accused NATO of entering the direct front line, warning the alliance that it must bear responsibility for the consequences. Russia has also made no secret of its military arsenal, sufficient to defeat the most powerful Western weapons.
The Russian military emphasizes the ability of anti-tank and armor-piercing missile systems to resist NATO tanks, explicitly referring to the Kornet complex.
ATGM "Kornet" consists of a rocket with laser semi-automatic guidance, so that the operator captures the target and takes it to escort, holding the crosshair of the sight on the target until it is hit. The rocket can be launched directly from a platform mounted on the ground or directly on the shoulder of the operator.
The missile is guided by an optical sight by the operator, who continues to accompany it until the missile reaches the target. It is capable of maneuvering, turning along the spiral trajectory during flight up to the last stage — hitting the target.
Confirming the effectiveness of the system, a representative of a Russian company specializing in the export of weapons and military equipment says that the Kornet system is able to implement the "shot and forget" principle, since it guarantees the probability of hitting a target with a coefficient of at least 97 and 99%.
The main tactical and technical characteristics of the ATGM "Kornet"
— The maximum firing range during the day is up to ten kilometers, at night — up to eight kilometers, as well as high protection against interference.
— The ability to use day and night from unprepared sites and in different positions: lying, kneeling, in a trench.
— Fires a missile with a double warhead capable of piercing armor up to 1300 millimeters thick.
— The head of the missile can be equipped with a high-explosive charge capable of hitting tanks of the latest types from a distance of up to ten kilometers.
— Capable of destroying tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled guns, low-flying planes and helicopters, as well as drones of various types.
— It can be installed on the Tiger-M, Typhoon-K, BMD-4M and other modern Russian armored vehicles carrying 16 missiles of this type, including eight combat ones.
— When installed on an armored personnel carrier, four systems can be aimed at two targets simultaneously.
— It takes only eight seconds for the crew of an armored personnel carrier to switch the system from marching mode to combat mode.
"Cornet" in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria
The Cornet system gained popularity in Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, but the star of glory first shone in July 2006, during the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The use of the "Cornet" by Hezbollah units contributed to inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli army. The Lebanese Party called it at the time the "Merkava tank massacre" and refuted the "myth of the indomitable Israeli tank."
In Gaza, the "Cornet" contributed to putting pressure on the occupying forces carrying out military patrols on the borders of the Gaza Strip, which led to huge losses among the military and settlers.
Israel considers the Kornet missile to be very dangerous, since it is anti-tank and anti-fortification, equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and has a destructive penetrating ability.
In 2011, the Israeli military-industrial complex invented a protection system called "Windbreaker", which is equipped with tanks to intercept and destroy anti-tank missiles.
Systems competing with Cornet
Although the Kornet is considered, according to military experts, the most powerful anti-tank guided missile, other systems have proven their accuracy. First of all, this is the American Javelin (FGM-148), which entered service in 2017 and replaced the Dragon system.
The Javelin anti-tank missile is considered one of the most expensive and advanced protection systems, which is why it is called the "tank hunter". It can be carried on the shoulder, and it is one of the most accurate and effective weapons of the US Army. This missile operates in the infrared range, has great capabilities to increase the field of view before launching towards the target, and when launched, it rises about 160 meters until it hits an armored vehicle or tank from above.
The missile has a range of 2.5 kilometers and a weight of 23 kilograms, is capable of piercing armored objects with a thickness of 800 millimeters. Given the development of modern tank armor, the missile is aimed at the top of the tank to disable it.
The US Army can also boast of developing another system, no less important than Javelin, namely TOW 2, which began to be used in 1983, and although it is more than 40 years old, according to military experts, it is still in great demand.
In the rest of the world, other ATGMs have proven their effectiveness, including the Turkish UMTAS, the French MMR, the Chinese HG-12, as well as the Belarusian Hornet, and Milan ER, which is produced jointly by France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Author: Maher Khalil (ماهر خليل)
