9M113 Konkurs

9M113 Konkurs

9M113 Konkurs missile
Type Anti-tank missile
Place of origin  Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1974–present
Used by See operators
Production history
Designed 1960s
Manufacturer Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP)
Produced 1962
Specifications
Weight 14.6 kg (32 lb)
Length 1,150 mm (45 in)
875 mm (34.4 in) without gas generator
Diameter 135 mm (5.3 in)

Warhead tandem HEAT
Detonation
mechanism
contact

Engine solid-fuel rocket
Wingspan 468 mm (18.4 in)
Operational
range
70 m (230 ft) to 4 km (2.5 mi)
Flight ceiling -
Speed 200 m/s (660 ft/s)
Guidance
system
wire-guided SACLOS
Steering
system
Thrust Vector
Launch
platform
Individual, Vehicle

The 9M113 Konkurs (Russian: 9М113 «Конкурс»; English: contest) SACLOS wire-guided Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "9M113" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-5 Spandrel.

Contents

Development

The 9M113 Konkurs was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP). Development began in 1962 with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS ATGMs, for use in both the man portable role and the tank destroyer role. The 9M113 Konkurs was developed alongside the 9M111; both missiles use similar technology, only differing in size. The warhead penetration is 600 mm vs RHA

The missile entered service in 1974. Iran began producing a copy, the Towsan-1/M113, sometime around 2000.[1]

Description

The missile is designed to be fired from vehicles, although it can also be fired from the later models of 9M111 launchers. It is an integral part of the BMP-2, BMD-2 and BRDM-2 vehicles. The missile is stored and carried in a fiberglass container/launch tube.

The system uses a gas generator to push the missile out of the launch tube. The gas also exits from the rear of the launch tube in a similar manner to a recoilless rifle. The missile leaves the launch tube at 80 meters per second, and is quickly accelerated to 200 meters per second by its solid fuel motor. This initial high speed reduces the deadzone of the missile, since it can be launched directly at the target, rather than in an upward arc. In flight the missile spins at between five and seven revolutions per second.

The launcher tracks the position of an incandescent infrared bulb on the back of the missile relative to the target and transmits appropriate commands to the missile via a thin wire that trails behind the missile. The system has an alarm that activates when it detects jamming from a system like Shtora. The operator can then take manual control, reducing the missile to MCLOS. The SACLOS guidance system has many benefits over MCLOS. Accuracy of the system is quoted in some sources as 90%, though its performance is probably comparable to the TOW or later SACLOS versions of the 9K11 Malyutka.

History

Israel's military has revealed that Hezbollah used 9M113 Konkurs in the 2006 Lebanon War. The Israel Defense Forces asserted that Hezbollah has employed Iranian copies of the 9M113 against Israeli main battle tanks in Lebanon.

Models

Operators

References

  1. ^ Chistopher F. Foss, Jane's Defense Week, Another ATGW for Iran
  2. ^ Old missiles not so old after all - Russia Today, October 12, 2011.

External links