Konkurs

A wire-guided missile that requires its operator to hold the crosshair on a moving tank for the entire flight — up to four kilometres, several seconds, stationary and exposed. On a battlefield under continuous drone observation, that is close to the hardest thing a soldier can be asked to do.

Overview

The 9M113 Konkurs, designated AT-5 Spandrel by NATO, is a Soviet second-generation anti-tank guided missile developed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau in Tula. It is SACLOS wire-guided: the operator keeps the sight on the target, an infrared tracker follows a beacon on the missile, and correction commands travel down a trailing wire. Maximum range is 4,000 m, and penetration is around 600 mm of steel for the baseline round; the tandem-warhead 9M113M Konkurs-M is credited with 750–800 mm behind explosive reactive armour.

It remains in the inventory of both belligerents and is still in current Russian service. It is mounted on the 9P135 tripod launcher for infantry use and integrated on the BMP-2, BMD-2 and BRDM-2. It is also still produced under licence in India by Bharat Dynamics, which continues paying royalties on a 1970s design.

Its capability against armour remains real. Its viability in this particular war is another matter, and the reason is guidance rather than penetration.

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