Russia stole the idea of the Ukrainian “Corsair”

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Defence Express.

According to the publication, the Russians have recently announced the development of a missile for the Kornet anti-tank system. The new missile has a 9M134 index, and it is being developed by the Tula Design Bureau of Instrumentation.

According to the Russians, this missile is lighter and four times smaller than the standard 9M133. The purpose of the new missile is to destroy “medium-armored, lightly armored and unarmored vehicles.” At the same time, the missile has a tandem warhead to counter dynamic defense. It has a laser track guidance system, just like the 9M133.

Defense Express noted that the new Russian development resembles the Ukrainian Corsair. The Ukrainian weapon is also a lighter missile for hitting less armored targets compared to the Stugna ATGM.

It is worth noting that the missile for the Stugna, the RK-2S, has a caliber of 130 mm and weighs 30 kg together with the launcher. And the 107-mm RK-3K for the Corsair is twice as light, but penetrates at least 550 mm in terms of dynamic protection.

However, when developing the 9M134, the Russians went further and expanded on the Ukrainian idea. The Russian version of the missile has a declared weight of 6.2 kg including the container, and the caliber has been reduced to 82 mm. It can penetrate armor with a thickness of 250 mm. These characteristics are not enough to hit a tank in the frontal projection, but they are more than enough to counter BMPs, APCs, and MRAPs.

Author - Olena Madiak, 10/09/2024