Russia touts the Kornet-EM anti-tank missile’s battlefield success in Ukraine, claiming it can defeat Western armor like the Abrams and Leopard 2 with precision, range, and tandem-charge warheads.
Rostec, Russia’s military-industrial conglomerate, has lauded its 9M133 Kornet, the man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) platform first introduced into service in the late 1990s. It remains among the most advanced and capable Russian ATGMs, yet due to its higher cost, it never entirely replaced the Soviet-era legacy systems.
The Russian defense firm noted that it has performed well in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“No vehicle of the Ukrainian army is protected against this anti-tank missile system. It can pierce all enemy tanks in any projection and penetrate the strongest turrets from the front to the rear. One hit is enough; neither counter-HEAT plates, additional screens, nor reactive armor can provide protection. In one case, an American Abrams tank was pierced through its armor and engine without any obstruction. So, the statistics are elementary: one Kornet missile minus one enemy vehicle,” Rostec told state news agency TASS.
The company further claimed that an ATGM fired by the Kornet can penetrate over forty-seven inches of steel armor, while its “unique properties” are effective against modern armor.
“The Kornet’s powerful warhead cannot be stopped even by the most advanced multilayered armor with ceramic elements, tungsten alloy, or depleted uranium layers. Even the much-touted Western Chobham armor cannot withstand this missile,”
Rostec added that the ATGM “is not simply an anti-tank missile system but a multipurpose high-precision guided weapon.”
Rostec also said the Kornet has been successfully employed against various other targets, “including enemy gun emplacements and fortifications, massed manpower, towers and other installations.”
Is the Kornet Anti-Tank Missile Overhyped?
The 9M133 Kornet is a third-generation ATGM that made its combat debut in 2003 when it was employed by the Iraqi Army against the U.S.-led coalition during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was credited with destroying or turning off several U.S. Army vehicles, including an M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT).
In the years since, it has been upgraded. The modernized 9M133 Kornet-EM offers increased range, fire-and-forget capability, and a more powerful warhead. The weapon has been used against Western-made MBTs, including the Abrams and German-made Leopard 2, in the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
A unique feature of the Kornet ATGM is the ability to operate in tandem mode, meaning that two missiles can be launched simultaneously. The other advantages of the Kornet missile are that it can attack a target by both a paired launch and tandem-charge warheads, which can strike explosive-reactive armor and pierce various add-on armor plates, and are increasingly used to protect against such munitions.
A laser beam directs the missile, and the system has a range of up to 6.2 miles with the new variants. It utilizes a “Semi-Automatic Command” to a line-of-sight laser beam-riding guidance system, which allows the operator to maintain line-of-sight to the target during the missile’s flight for greater accuracy.
Still, it further offers a fire-and-forget targeting option.
Though it is described as a man-portable missile, it employs a tripod launcher and thermal sight carried and operated by a two-person infantry crew. It can also be mounted on a variety of tracked and wheeled vehicles.
Brandon J. Weichert, writing for The National Interest, compared the Kornet favorably to the FGM-148 Javelin, which the Ukrainian military has also used to great success.
Thus, while Rostec may like to believe its 9M133 Kornet-EM is a weapon, rival systems can get the job done just as well. That said, the Kornet’s capabilities shouldn’t be underestimated, a fact any tank commander should remember.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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