Kornet

Russia's primary heavy anti-tank guided missile — a SACLOS laser-beam-rider with tandem-HEAT warheads, fielded since 1998 and exported to over 20 countries, from Moscow to Hezbollah.

Overview

The 9M133 Kornet (NATO designation AT-14 Spriggan) is a man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) that uses semi-automatic command to line-of-sight (SACLOS) laser beam-rider guidance. Developed by the Tula-based KBP Instrument Design Bureau, the Kornet fires a large tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead capable of defeating modern explosive reactive armor, and can also be fitted with a thermobaric warhead for anti-personnel and bunker work. Its baseline range of 5.5 km (extended to 10 km on later variants) makes it a stand-off threat far beyond a tank’s main gun, and it has been one of the most widely disseminated Russian anti-armor weapons of the 21st century, exported to over 20 state and non-state operators.

Development

KBP Tula began work on a new heavy ATGM to succeed the wire-guided 9M113 Konkurs in the late Soviet period, and the 9M133 Kornet was formally introduced into Russian service in 1998, according to the U.S. Army ODIN/WEG database. Unlike many contemporary Western programs, KBP opted to retain a SACLOS laser-beam-rider architecture rather than move to fire-and-forget imaging infrared, prioritizing engagement range, warhead size, and simplicity over “lock-on-before-launch” autonomy.

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