Technical progress in the field of weapons is much faster than in other areas of human activity. Planes fly higher and faster, tanks become more powerful, and their turret guns hit farther. The means designed to counter the military equipment of a possible enemy are also being improved. It comes to the point that the line separating tactical missile launchers from anti-tank systems is erased or becomes unclear. An example is the Russian "Kornet" - a weapon designed to combat armored vehicles, but also suitable for suppressing well-fortified firing points and other elements of defense in depth. Previously, these tasks were carried out by heavy siege artillery systems and powerful rockets with special warheads.
My wonderful Izh Cornet…
Only the Dutch army currently has such a military rank. The etymology of the word is beautiful: its root is the English name of the chief army trumpeter, who in the Middle Ages transmitted the commands of the commander to the entire army throughsound signals. This title (chief officer) was also in the Russian Army, and was preserved as long as the White movement existed. It gave the name to the small motorcycle "Izh Cornet", popular among athletes. This bike, despite its small size and low power, looks quite dapper thanks to the chrome-plated decor elements and good design. Engine size - only 50 "cubes", you can drive it even without a driver's license. The homeland of the motorcycle "Cornet" is Izhevsk. Weapons are also often named after an old military rank. The revolver of traumatic action is made in Ukraine (caliber 9 mm). It is compact and convenient. Hardball fans also know the inexpensive and high-quality Kornet air pistol. But this article will focus on a much more formidable weapon, anti-tank.
Penetrate more than a meter of armor
It's hard to fight the advancing tank formations. Modern equipment is equipped with effective protection, which, according to the designers, protects the crew and vital components from the effects of damaging factors. The thickness of the frontal armor has increased significantly in recent decades, but the efforts of the creators of combat vehicles were not limited to this. It has become multi-layered, resistant to cumulative impacts, and the angle of its spatial orientation contributes to reflection and ricochet. Now it is not enough for a projectile to have the ability to penetrate a layer with a thickness of, for example, 100 mm, since complex protection measures greatly increase its resistance. The anti-tank complex "Kornet" was created with a very large margin of power in order to successfully deal witharmored vehicles that meet the most modern world requirements, and even with a promising one. Not a single tank has meter armor - such a mass would incredibly make the structure heavier. However, the tandem-action cumulative charge, which the 9M133 missile is equipped with, is also able to penetrate a thicker (1200 mm) layer, which is also behind the dynamic protection. Cornet is an irresistible weapon.
Guidance
The best of all situations for the use of anti-tank weapons is one in which direct fire contact with the advancing enemy is excluded. However, over-the-horizon shooting is possible only if the condition of visual control of its result is observed. The flight range of the 9M133 missile can reach ten kilometers, but the effective radius in the daytime does not exceed 5500 m, and at night - 3500 m. The guidance system is semi-automatic laser. This means that it is enough for the operator to keep the target on the sight mark, and everything else happens without his intervention. The missile goes in the direction of the beam, guided by the teleorientation system, while active or passive interference that the enemy can put up is ineffective. The guidance signal comes from the complex from which the launch was carried out by a photodetector directed backwards. "Kornet" - a weapon suitable for use in conditions of zero visibility, in this case, aiming is carried out by a thermal imaging quick-detachable sight 1PN79-1. This device has also found application in the guidance stations of modern infantry fighting vehicles and attack helicopters.
Rocket incontainer
The missile control rudders are located in its bow. There are two of them, and in the transport position they are sunk in special niches, and exit them after the start. In the front compartment there is also a leading shaped charge, which serves to burn through the armor protection. The rocket engine is solid-propellant and is made in the form of a ring, so that there is a hollow space inside it - this is necessary so that the gas jet of the main cumulative warhead (located at the back) can pass through it at the moment of impact. Nozzles for imparting torque are located at an angle. The wings are resiliently bent and straighten out after the projectile leaves the container. They are located at the rear (according to the "duck" scheme) and are offset by 45 ° to the plane of the rudders. The ejection of a rocket from a plastic TPK is carried out by a knockout charge. The flight path is spiral. Anti-tank complex "Kornet" can be stored for ten years. During this period, there is no need for routine maintenance and inspections.
Cumulative action
The 9M133 missile with a HEAT warhead can penetrate 1000-1200 mm of homogeneous, ERA-covered armor. This result is due to several damaging factors. The projectile speed is 250 m/s, its mass is 29 kg, the weight of the blasting substance is 4600 g, the charge is tandem, and when detonated, the unused residue of solid fuel also reacts, through which the plasma gas jet of the main warhead passes. This is how the anti-tank Cornet works, and the danger of itThe impact is enhanced by the high accuracy of hitting the most vulnerable areas of protection provided by laser guidance. But this tool can also be used with another type of charge, anti-personnel.
Against bunkers, bunkers and combat vehicles
Situations sometimes arise on the battlefield that are difficult to foresee. An advancing unit may unexpectedly encounter a heavily fortified defensive point, and the attack will bog down. The Kornet missile system is versatile enough to solve not only the task of fighting tanks, but also effectively suppress stationary pockets of resistance. This rather compact tool is equipped not only with cumulative, but also with thermobaric warheads. In terms of its explosive power, the impact of a 9M133F or 9M133F-1 rocket is similar to the effect of a 152-mm howitzer projectile or ten kilograms of TNT. In fact, this is a vacuum bomb delivered by a rocket engine with high accuracy to a distance of 5.5 km. High-explosive-thermobaric "Kornet" - a weapon for effectively destroying unpressurized lightly armored enemy vehicles (armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, etc.)
Launcher
PU in the infantry version is a tripod, the design of which integrates fire control devices, guidance, aiming devices and optical means (including infrared). It can also be part of the standard armament of combat vehicles (BMP or "Tiger"). Anti-tank complex "Kornet" asthe main vehicle uses the BM 9P162 chassis ("Object 699" with the chassis of the BMP-3). The crew consists of two or three people. Directly shooting and aiming at the target is carried out by the gunner-operator from his workplace, equipped with an electronic complex. Launch preparations are controlled by remote control commands. A revolver-type automatic reloader - a total of 16 rounds in the ammunition load, 12 of which are located directly in the drum. The 9P162 vehicle is equipped with two 9P163 launchers. The time allotted for the launch production is 20-30 seconds.
In especially difficult conditions
The design of the Kornet complex provides for the possibility of dismantling the launcher from the combat vehicle if necessary. Situations during the war are very different. If the BM has lost its course, and it is necessary to fire from positions hidden or inaccessible to vehicles (in the mountains or settlements), the 9P163 installation is removed from its regular place on the BM and delivered to the right place. Unexpectedly, a powerful fire weapon is capable of turning the unfavorable situation and influencing the outcome of the battle in a decisive way.
Cornet abroad
In 1997, at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the Russian exposition for the first time presented the Kornet anti-tank missile system to the attention of potential buyers. The weapon, the photo of which became available on the booklets, made the proper impression due to the main difference from the already well-known "Metis", "Competitions" and "Bassoons" -laser rather than wire guidance system. Those wishing to purchase this complex for their own armed forces did not take long to wait. Algeria, Greece, India, Jordan, Côte d'Ivoire, Peru, Syria, Turkey, and also, according to unverified reports, Libya are countries that have equipped their armies with the latest Russian anti-tank weapons (the Kornet-E modification is intended for export). Until 2009 alone, 35 thousand missiles and many hundreds of launchers were produced, including those installed on the BRDM-2M and BMP-2M. Of course, the main goal of the manufacturer was to equip the Russian Army, but, as is often the case with successful weapons, controlling their distribution to different countries turned out to be a difficult task.
Uncontrolled export
Almost immediately after the Kornet-E ATGM entered the foreign market, numerous reports about the use of this effective anti-tank weapon in various international regional conflicts became available to the media. Hezbollah used them against the Israel Defense Forces in 2006 (the IDF lost 46 Merkavs, although there is evidence that this figure is underestimated, but in fact 164 vehicles burned down). A possible explanation for the presence of "Cornets" is the "Syrian trace", although it is almost impossible to trace the origin of this technique. The same applies to Islamic ISIS, which hit with shells (possibly Russian-made) an Abrams tank and several armored vehicles. It is noteworthy that the same weapon was used by the Iraqi army against militants."Islamic State" in the Diyala region (2014). At that time, Ukrainian experts announced the discovery at the site of the explosion of fragments of a cumulative warhead, on which traces of markings were preserved indicating the production date (2009) of the Kornet projectile. The militia's weapons come from various sources, mostly trophy ones, but this find (if it is not just another fake) could weaken Russia's foreign policy position regarding the situation in Donbass.
Creators and Producers
B. S. Fimushkin, O. V. Sazhnikov and S. N. Dozorov were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation for the creation of the third-generation Kornet complex (2002). The following year, the merits of another designer who was directly related to this project, Lev Grigorievich Zakharov (Order of Merit for the Fatherland, third degree), were noted. Apparently, these awards are well deserved. The famous Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering became the general development organization. The rocket is produced at the machine-building plant. V. A. Dektyareva (Kovrov). Other enterprises of the Russian defense complex, such as the mechanical plant in the city of Volsk, Saratov Region, and OAO Tulatochmash, also became production contractors.
