9K121 Vikhr
AT- 16 at a Kamov Ka-50
The AT -16 Scallion is an air -to-surface anti-tank missile of Russian production. The GRAU index 9K121 is Wicher ( Вихрь ). The missile carries the designation 9M127.
Development
The anti-tank guided weapon system AT -16 Scallion was designed in the former Soviet Union as a counterpart to the U.S. AGM-114 Hellfire. The development work in the design office KBP began in 1986. The first copies were willing surrender in 1993. Due to the tight financial situation of the Russian armed forces could only be a small number to be procured for testing purposes. Mass production is scheduled to begin in 2014 and the first units to be delivered in 2015 to the Russian armed forces.
Deployment platforms
The only currently used platforms for the AT- 16, the attack helicopter Kamov Ka -50 and Ka-52 " Hokum " and the ground-attack aircraft Sukhoi Su- 39 " Frogfoot ".
Variants
- 9K121 Wicher: original version; willing to develop in 1997. with missile 9M127 / 9A4172 Wicher. Range 8 km, with monoblock shaped charge. Armor penetration of 900 mm RHA.
- With missile 9M127K / 9A4172K Wicher -1. Range 10 km, with tandem shaped charge. Armor penetration up to 1,200 mm RHA.
Technology
The missile is transported to a glass-fiber reinforced plastic pipe, and also fired therefrom. The missile uses a solid rocket engine of the company Soyuz NPO. When starting a small ejection charge transported the missile from the launch tube. Immediately after leaving the tube, the wings and the rocket motor ignites unfold. The AT -16 In contrast to the AGM-114 Hellfire is a Beam Rider. The laser detector is in the gun at the rear of the missile, the missile tries to stay within the laser beam during the flight. The rocket nozzles are located left and right of the missile. It is added after the start of spin through a tail at the rear - this is to guide necessary because it has only a control surface. There is a proximity fuze at the tip of the missile. The warhead consists of a tandem shaped charge, the main shaped charge is provided with a fragmentation casing to increase the effectiveness against soft and semi-hard targets. This particular solution has a number of advantages and disadvantages:
- Because of the laser detector is directed to the source, it may be cheaper
- Interference-resistant, as more laser energy is transmitted to the missile
- Priced by the use of only one control surface
- Can be used by the proximity fuze as an air - to-air guided weapon against slow-flying aircraft and helicopters
- By Beam Rider principle the starting platform must be precisely aligned to the target, the launch canister are for pivot in the vertical
- Buddy lasing is not possible
- It can be selected at a target only the direct approach, top - attack is not possible
- The weapon spiral profiled at the beginning strongly, since the twist is not so pronounced. This increases the minimum range