AT-5 Spandrel
Encyclopedia
The 9M113 Konkurs 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.
. 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.
, 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.
'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.
purchased in 1990s - Not confirmed. - produced in licence, known as PstOhj 82M fired from 9P135M-1 launchers (Withdrawn from service) - 15,000 Konkurs-M, ordered in 2008 worth 295 million USD manufacture its own version ,upgraded and high explosion named towsan used on BRDM-2
SACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
wire-guided
Wire-guided missile
A wire-guided missile is a missile that is guided by signals sent to it via thin wires connected between the missile and its guidance mechanism, which is located somewhere near the launch site. As the missile flies, the wires are reeled out behind it...
Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. "9M113" is the GRAU
Grau
Grau is a German word meaning "gray" and a Catalan word meaning "grade". It may refer to:* BAP Almirante Grau , a De Zeven Provinciën class cruiser in service with the Peruvian Navy* Grau Käse, Tyrolean grey cheese...
designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...
is AT-5 Spandrel.
Development
The 9M113 Konkurs was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP)KBP Instrument Design Bureau
KBP Instrument Design Bureau is a Russian developer and manufacturer of high-precision weapons. It was established in 1927 in Tula, USSR. Arkady Shipunov has been the Designer General since 1962...
. Development began in 1962 with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS
SACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
ATGMs, for use in both the man portable role and the tank destroyer role. The 9M113 Konkurs was developed alongside the 9M111
AT-4 Spigot
The 9K111 Fagot is a SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union. "9M111" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-4 Spigot.-Development:...
; both missiles use similar technology, only differing in size. The warhead penetration is 600 mm vs RHA
Rolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour is a type of steel which is used to armour vehicles.-Composition:Armoured steel must be hard yet impervious to shock in order to resist high velocity metal projectiles. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size and...
The missile entered service in 1974. Iran began producing a copy, the Towsan-1/M113, sometime around 2000.
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-2BMP-2
The BMP-2 is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following the BMP-1 of the 1960s....
, BMD-2
BMD-2
The BMD-2 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle, which was introduced in 1985. It is a variant of BMD-1 with a new turret and some changes done to the hull. BMD stands for Boyevaya Mashina Desanta...
and BRDM-2
BRDM-2
The BRDM-2 is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08...
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
Recoilless rifle
A recoilless rifle or recoilless gun is a lightweight weapon that fires a heavier projectile than would be practical to fire from a recoiling weapon of comparable size. Technically, only devices that use a rifled barrel are recoilless rifles. Smoothbore variants are recoilless guns...
. 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
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
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
Shtora
Shtora is an electro-optical active protection system or suite for tanks, designed to disrupt the laser target designation and rangefinders of incoming anti-tank guided missiles...
. The operator can then take manual control, reducing the missile to MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
. The SACLOS
SACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
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
IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
'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
- 9M113 Konkurs (NATO: AT-5 Spandrel, AT-5A Spandrel A)
- 9M113M Konkurs-M (NATO: AT-5B Spandrel B) Tandem warhead - with extended explosive probe.
Operators
- mounted on Fahd Armoured Personnel CarriersFahd (armored personnel carrier)
The Fahd is a 4x4 Egyptian armored personnel carrier, designed to fit the requirements of the Egyptian Military. The Fahd APC is relatively lighter, smaller, better armed, and less expensive than other modern APCs. It replaced older APCs in Egyptian service such as the BTR-40, and the Walid...
purchased in 1990s - Not confirmed. - produced in licence, known as PstOhj 82M fired from 9P135M-1 launchers (Withdrawn from service) - 15,000 Konkurs-M, ordered in 2008 worth 295 million USD manufacture its own version ,upgraded and high explosion named towsan used on BRDM-2
- Turkish Occupied Forces in Cyprus - training only