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Complex Kornet-D / Kornet-EM Anti-tank system
9M133FM-3 / 9M133FM / 9M133M-2

The Kornet anti-tank missile system is designated to strike tanks and other armored targets, including vehicles outfitted with advanced reactive armor and active protection systems. The missile is directed by a laser beam. The Kornet-EM anti-tank missile system’s firing range has been extended to 8 km whereas its previous versions have an engagement range of 5.5 km.

Deputy CEO of the High Precision Weapons Company (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) Sergey Mikhailov said in early December 2022 that the Kornet-EM anti-tank missile system can be adapted to any type of chassis. In its baseline modification, the Kornet-EM is mounted on two telescopic masts that carry four missiles each, he said.

The anti-tank missile system / multi-purpose missile system was developed by Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering (hereinafter - KBP, Tula), chief designer of the direction - Lev Zakharov. The tests of the complex were carried out in 2011. On the official website of the KBP, the complex is called "Kornet-EM", in the media - "Kornet-D". According to unconfirmed information, the name for the complex in the Russian Armed Forces is "Kornet-D", the export version is "Kornet-EM".

The Kornet comes in variants with thermobaric warheads for use against soft targets. It was further developed into the 9M133 Kornet-EM, which has increased range, fire-and-forget capability, and an improved warhead. The launcher is a combat vehicle of the complex on the chassis " Tiger " (prototype - GAZ-233036). The combat vehicle is equipped with two automatic retractable launchers with sighting systems for 4 containers with ATGMs each. At the request of the customer, one launcher for 4 missiles can be installed on the combat vehicle.

The Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system is a day/night, precision-guided long-range missile system with a jam-resistant laser-beam riding guidance system intended to counter ground and air targets in electronic and optical countermeasures environments.

The Kornet-EM ATGM system is available in two versions:

1. A vehicle-mounted version based on an automated launcher with a sighting/launch module fitted with a TV/thermal sight and an automatic target tracking system, which implements the fire-and-forget missile concept through the use of the automatic target tracker with the guaranteed long-range hit probability of at least 0.97-0.99. This effectively engages air targets, including reconnaissance and reconnaissance/attack UAVs, which is a new mission for ATGM systems, and provides a significant increase in the rate of fire and firing performance through simultaneous salvo firing at two targets and higher missile speed. It almost doubles the effective range compared to the Kornet-E, while improving the guidance accuracy up to 5 times. It also reduces psychophysical loads on operators, relaxes the requirements for their skills, shortens their training time through automatic target engagement.
2. A portable/vehicle-mounted version based on an upgraded Kornet-E’s launcher, which increases the maximum firing range up to 10 km during daylight and up to 8 km at night. This improves the target accuracy through higher magnification of the sight channel and addition of two 12x and 20x fields of view to it.

The ATGM system can fire all of the Kornet-E missiles. Automated launchers can be mounted on different platforms.

The issue of increasing the firing range is currently one of the controversial. Many military experts believe that the nature of the terrain and the screening properties of the landscape in most of the territories suitable for warfare, provide direct visibility at distances of no more than 3–4 km,In this connection, the implementation of firing ranges of armament complexes leading direct fire at visually observable targets is not more than the specified values. However, an analysis of the armed conflicts of recent decades shows that in areas with desert-flat nature of relief, in wide valleys located between mountains, in the foothills, when located at commanding heights, targets can be observed at distances over 10-15 km.Using the advantages of the terrain in the conduct of hostilities, which, among other things, includes taking positions that provide maximum sectors and range of view, is one of the main conditions for successful combat.

Therefore, for the above types of terrain, there will always be situations where there is the possibility of detecting and firing targets at long ranges (over 5-6 km). In this regard, the state unitary enterprise “KBP” believes that weapons, including anti-tank systems, should ensure firing at the maximum possible range, which will cause significant damage to the enemy before the main forces enter fire contact with him or organize ambushes the battle.

Of course, this should not worsen the other characteristics of the complex: accuracy of fire, the power of impact on the target, weight and size characteristics. In Kornet-EM ATGM This problem was solved. Due to the improvement of the control system of the complex, the designs of the engines of the guided missiles and the introduction of an automatic target tracking machine, the firing range of the complex has been increased to 8 (ATGM with EAC) - 10 km (EAR with EFC). At the same time, the accuracy of firing of Kornet-EM anti-tank systems by 10 km was 5 km higher than that of the base complex Kornet-E , while the new missiles retained the dimensions and docking parameters of previously developed Kornet-E missiles, which allows to ensure their compatibility with previously developed launchers and maintain operational characteristics.

Increasing the range and accuracy of shooting, the implementation of auto-tracking, providing the ability to track not only slow ground targets, but also more high-speed objects, made it possible to solve in the Kornet-EM complexa fundamentally new task for ATGMs - the defeat of small air targets (helicopters, UAVs and attacking attack aircraft). The recent appearance and the predicted sharp increase in the future number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of reconnaissance and reconnaissance-strike type, together with the dramatically increased role of army aviation reconnaissance and attack helicopters complexes (which are the most massive type of WTO SV) in the fight against low-speed aircraft.

To effectively counter attack helicopters and UAVs, it is necessary to have air defense systems directly in combat formations, since they attack or reconnaissance overflight at low altitude, which does not allow them to be detected in time by medium and long range air defense systems, usually located deep in the rear.

ATCM "Kornet-EM" is a complex that can effectively solve such problems. The effectiveness of the Kornet-EM complex in the fight against air targets is provided by a combination of a high-precision automatic guidance system and a guided missile with a thermobaric warhead, equipped with a proximity and contact target sensor (NDC) with a range of up to 10 km. The presence of a non-contact target sensor ensures reliable defeat of air targets at all firing ranges. In combination with the powerful high-explosive warhead of the NDC, it is possible to compensate for possible misses of the complex, ensuring effective defeat by excessive pressure of the UAV (or helicopter) with misses up to 3 meters. The maximum range of a rocket flight of 10 km gives an advantage to the Kornet-EM complex in the fight against helicopters - it provides the possibility of firing at distances exceeding the ranges used by the adversary for military weapons.

As a result, the Kornet-EM anti-tank missile system can, if necessary, perform some of the functions of the near-zone air defense system, providing cover for the combat forces of its troops from attacks by helicopters and UAVs. No other complex has this quality. The interaction of the Kornet-EM anti -tank systems with standard air defense systems, which are adapted to combat low-speed air targets, will significantly increase the effectiveness of air defense tactical units of the Ground Forces as a whole.

The use of technical vision in the Kornet-EM complex with automatic target tracking eliminates a person from the ATGM targeting process and actually ensures the implementation of the “fire and forget” principle, increasing the target tracking accuracy up to 5 times in real conditions of combat use and ensuring a high probability of hitting the entire range of combat use of the complex, twice the range of Kornet-E anti-tank systems.

The possibility of hitting targets in automatic mode reduces the psychophysical burden on operators, the requirements for their qualifications, and also reduces the time for their preparation. The block-modular principle of the complex, traditional for the Kornet family, provides for placement of both two and one automatic launchers on a wide range of relatively inexpensive small-capacity carriers (the weight of the armament complex, including the ammunition load, is 0.8 tons for the variant with one launcher and 1.2 tons for the version with two PU) produced in different countries, with remote control.

The Kornet anti-tank missile system is capable of piercing any smart active protection system of armor with a paired launch of missiles, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Military Review Dmitry Litovkin told TASS on 15 December 2022. "It was pointed out that the Kornet self-propelled anti-tank missile systems can fire in tandem mode, specifically, two missiles can be launched at a time within a single command and control field to pierce the enemy armor’s active protection system. Both missiles thus launched follow each other in a single laser beam with a short interval, which helps deceive the armor’s smart protection systems, such as the Israeli Iron Fist developed by IMI," the expert said.

This system operates by firing a cluster of striking elements towards an incoming missile detected by its radar sensor to destroy the attacking element. However, this protection may fail against the Kornet as the second missile will accurately hit the target, even if the first projectile is destroyed, the expert explained. Various aerosols and smokes are also used to protect the armor, the expert pointed out. "However, this does not significantly reduce the efficiency of the smart Kornet missile," Litovkin said.

"Even if a smoke screen emerges all of a sudden while a missile approaches a target, the missile does not lose control and continues moving along the original flight path. Considering the missile’s velocity, the target will most likely have no time to change its position and will be wiped out, in spite of the smoke," the expert stressed.

Kornet missiles possess both the option to attack a target by a paired launch and tandem-charge warheads that strike explosive-reactive armor and pierce various add-on armor plates, he said. "Importantly, the missile has a tandem-charge high-explosive warhead. This means that two charges explode in an attack. The first lead charge removes the target’s reactive armor while the follow-up charge directly wipes it out," the expert specified.

Add-on armor plates are frequently used to protect against such munitions, Litovkin noted. "While experts say that slat armor protects against standard high-explosive munitions, it is less effective against tandem-charge high-explosive munitions similar to those employed by the Kornet," the military expert pointed out.

The Kornet is also popular among foreign customers. The Bulsae-3 (AT-14 Spriggan) North Korean Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) is reversed engineered Kornet-E under the designation of Bulsae-3.

Director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev told TASS at the Army 2021 international arms show on 23 August 2021 that Russia had received several requests on the potential delivery of self-propelled Kornet-EM systems based on the Tigr armored vehicles to foreign customers. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on November 25 following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi that the first batch of Russian-made Kornet missile launchers would be delivered to Serbia by the end of this year.