9M133 Kornet

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Kornet
Kornet
Basic data
Function	anti-tank missile
Manufacturer	KPB Instrument Design Bureau
Entered service	1994
General characteristics
Engine	solid-fuel rocket
Launch mass	27 kg
Length	120 cm
Diameter	15.2 cm
Speed
Range	0.1 - 5.5 km
Warhead	shaped-charge HEAT tandem warhead, with armour penetration of about 1200 mm of RHA, or 980 mm behind explosive reactive armour. Thermobaric anti-personnel/anti-material warhead is also available.
Guidance	SACLOS laser beam riding

The 9M133 Kornet (Russian for "Cornet") is a Russian anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). Its NATO reporting name is AT-14.

1 Overview
2 Combat history
3 Users
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Overview

The KBP Instrument Design Bureau unveiled the Kornet in October 1994, and it is believed the missile entered service in the Russian army the same year. It is a heavy ATGM intended to replace the earlier 9K111 Fagot (NATO: AT-4 Spigot) and 9K113 Konkurs (NATO: AT-5 Spandrel) wire-guided ATGMs in both vehicle and tripod mounts. The missile is capable of engaging helicopters. A variant with a thermobaric warhead is produced for use against soft-skinned vehicles, exposed personnel and fortifications.

[edit] Combat history

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Kornets were initially rumoured to have been used by Iraqi forces to destroy American M1 Abrams tanks, but later studies revealed that the tanks had been hit by either friendly fire or Iraqi rocket propelled grenades. No evidence of the use or presence of Kornet missiles in Iraq has been found.^{[citation needed]} GlobalSecurity.org claims that at least two M1 Abrams tanks and one M2 Bradley armoured personnel carrier were disabled by Kornets.^[1] The US Army however has stated that no Kornet ATGMs were found in Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

The first verified episode of Kornet ATGM combat use occurred during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, where the missiles, reportedly supplied by Syria, were successfully used by Hezbollah fighters to destroy Israeli Merkava tanks, including the most advanced and well-protected model, the Mk 4.

This episode occurred in the final stage of the conflict around Wadi al-Saluki and the village of Ghandouriyeh on August 11, 2006. With the UN-brokered ceasefire about to take effect, IDF made a poorly organised attempt to take control of Lebanese territory up to Litani river. Hezbollah was aware of Israeli preparations to cross Wadi al-Saluki for days, and had ample time to prepare, including the deployment of Kornet ATGMs. When the Israelis attacked, Hezbollah ATGM teams managed to hit at least 11 out of 24 participating tanks before their positions were overwhelmed, inflicting significant casualties to tank crews.^[2]

One of the first detailed accounts of IDF's successful capture of Kornet ATGMs on Hezbollah positions in the village of Ghandouriyeh appeared in the Daily Telegraph article, which also reported that the boxes were marked with "Customer: Ministry of Defense of Syria. Supplier: KBP, Tula, Russia."^[3] Several months after the cease-fire, this report has been corroborated in the paper by Israeli Center for Special Studies dealing with the use of human shields by Hezbollah; this report has finally provided sufficient photographic evidence that Kornet ATGMs were indeed both in possession of, and used by, Hezbollah in this area.^[4]^[5]

Reports of the Kornet use earlier in the war ^[6]^[7] could not be so far verified and quite likely are in fact misidentifying the missiles used.

The Israelis claim that Russian weapons were smuggled to Hezbollah by Syria, and Israel has sent a team of officials to Moscow to show the Russians the evidence of what they say can only be Syrian weapons transfers.^[8] Despite initial public denials by the Russian officials that any proof has been presented^[9]^[10], the Russian government in fact has moved to tighten control over the use of Russian-made weapons by the importing states, suggesting that the visit of the Israeli delegation did bear fruit.^[11]