ANTI-TANK “CARTS”

ANTI-TANK When developing a combat reconnaissance patrol vehicles (BRDM), the specialists of the design Bureau of the Gorky automobile plant in advance the possibility of creating on its basis a whole range of machines with unified mechanisms, machines and details. The main module was the unit of the power plant with the transmission. “Imposing” such a module housing of the original design was created and then various combat vehicles, including anti-tank missiles on the BRDM.

 

Since the advent on the field of battle tanks and up to the end of the Second world war the primary means of dealing with them were anti-tank guns. However, even the monsters last war years caliber 128 mm, which had a mass exceeding 10 tonnes, was not able to deal effectively with the tanks at ranges exceeding 2 km, For such distances artillery shells had too much dispersion, which did not allow to successfully hit a moving target. It required a totally new antitank weapon. And it appeared – it was the anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). For the first time such a missile X-7 Rotkäppchen (Red riding hood), managed by wire, developed by the Germans in 1944, However, the case to its military application has not reached.
 
After the war the French, taking advantage of captured German experience, did a very good ATGM SS-10 Nord-5203. In 1956 it was successfully used by Israeli troops against Egyptian tanks in the fighting in the Sinai Peninsula. By 1963, the French managed to produce more than 30 thousand units – rockets eagerly purchased, and other countries, including the US and Germany.
 
Against this background, and in the Soviet Union, where tanks were considered by military experts as the main striking force of ground troops, hastily he began developing his own ATGM. A wide scope of work in this direction was initiated by the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On the creation of new tanks, self-propelled-tank destroyers, anti-tank weapons and managed reactive weapons for them,” may 8, 1957
In the framework of this decision, the designers started creating the first Soviet anti-tank missiles (ATGM) on mobile units. Supply of wheeled fighting vehicles for their placement was to provide GAS, and to create a tracked tank destroyers were involved in a tank KB of Kharkiv and Nizhny Tagil.
 
The interest of the military high command problem early receipt of ATRA shown by the fact that the chief designers, who led their development, every month reported on the status of the Chairperson of the Commission of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on military-industrial issues Ustinov and commander of the Ground forces and first Deputy Minister of defense of the USSR Marshal A. A. Grechko.
 
9P148 combat vehicle of the complex
 
9P148 combat vehicle of the complex “Competition”. Victory parade, Khabarovsk, 2010
 
Already in 1960, the Soviet Army adopted the first self-propelled complexes 2K16 “bumblebee” and 2К8 “Phalanx” based on BRDM. With the beginning of production in 1967 BRDM-2 complexes were transferred to its chassis. Having a high load capacity, great mobility and reservation, the car was very well suited for this purpose.
 
The first anti-tank missile system on the chassis of BRDM became 9К11 ATGM “baby”, developed by the Kolomna machine building Design Bureau under the leadership of Chief designer S. P. Invincible in 1960 and adopted in 1963. It was installed on the combat vehicle 9П110 created on the basis of the BRDM. However, soon (late 1960s) rocket upgraded. The complex received index 9К11М the name “baby-M” rocket -9М14М “Malyutka-M”. For him was developed in 1969 at the Saratov aggregate plant fighting machine 9П122. The issue lasted two years: in that time has produced 580 units.
 
War machine 9П122 on the basis of BRDM-2 (GAZ-41-02) was designed to deal with moving and stationary armored targets at ranges from 500 m to 3000 m. it is a launcher, which included: a package of guides, polyaminopropyl mechanism, hydraulic, electric, and a set of control equipment and sighting device. The guides pack was in the fighting compartment of the machine in the middle of the body. It was established six missiles, connections to the electric circuits of the control equipment. On top of the rails attached to the roof of the fighting compartment.
 
Tilt-mechanism with electric actuator provided package guide required for firing the turret in the vertical and horizontal planes. The hydraulic lift made it the rise and fall of the rocket with the translation machinery from traveling to combat and back. However, in critical situations, the guide may be lifted and manually, but instead of 20 it would have had to spend 2.5 min.
 
War machine 9П122
 
War machine 9П122
 
War machine 9П122 anti-missile system 9К11М
 
9П122 combat vehicle anti-tank missile system 9К11М “Malyutka-M”
 
The crew consisted of two people – the driver and the commander of the machine performing the duties of the operator-gunner, located in the front part of its body. To review the location and search objectives, and monitor the missile in flight, the gunner used optical viewfinder 9Ш16 and the sighting device 9Ш115А, which had eight-fold increase.
 
Managing 9М14М rocket in flight was carried out by changing the thrust vector of the main engine, and to compensate for the eccentricity of its thrust was provided for the rotation of the rocket around its axis. The missile guidance is done manually. The gunner with the sight was simultaneously monitor the missile and the target, and manually generate commands which are transmitted to the missile through wires. Guidance method “worked” by the method of three points: the first point is the eye of the gunner-operator (crosshair reticle) and the second rocket on the trajectory, and the third goal. The task of the operator was to bring the rocket to the line of sight (from the eye to the target) and hold it on the line until hitting the target.
 
A significant drawback of this system was the fact that gunner was required great experience and training. Of course, it was impossible to fire and move.
 
With the help of remote ground remote control equipment could produce runs at a distance up to 80 m away. Although this hampered the detection of a missile launch by the enemy, and concealed the machine itself, the minimum distance of fire was increased to 800 m. When the probable collision with the armored vehicles of the NATO countries in Europe it was not so appropriate as to describe the theater of operations, the average detection distance of the tank was only 1,000 m.
 
Rocket 9М14М
 
Rocket 9М14М “baby-M”, which had a semi-automatic control system by wire. Her caliber – 125 mm, weight 11,8 kg, range target: up to 3000 meters
 
ATGM 9М14М
 
ATGM 9М14М “Malyutka-M”:
 
1 – ballistic tip; 2 – piezoelectric transducer; 3 – cumulative liner; 4 – explosive, 5 – castle of the warhead; 6 – diaphragm; 7 – fuse; 8 – starting the engine; 9 – main engine; 10 – coil wire; 11 – stabilizer; 12 – on-Board equipment; 13 – control system; 14 – gyroscope

 
Ammunition 9П122 consisted of 14 missiles: in addition to the six fixed rails, eight were laying inside the machine. A skilled crew could achieve a rate of fire to three launches per minute. The probability of hitting the target of tank type was 0.7.
 
As additional weapons in the car there was a grenade RPG-7 ammunition, eight anti-tank grenades, and close combat – the AKM assault rifle and hand grenades. Alarm had a pistol with signal ammunition.
 
Machine 9П122 retained the amphibious properties of the basic chassis was retained and additional retractable drive wheels, which kept her mobility, close to standard BRDM-2.
 
In the States, the composition of each Soviet motorized rifle and tank divisions included thirty-six combat vehicles with ATRA 9К11М “Malyutka-M” -nine in the anti-tank battalion and nine in each of the three regiments.
 
Guided missile complex 9М14М (previously shell) have been performed on the aerodynamic configuration “tailless”. The design of the rocket body for the first time in world practice widely used special durable plastic “AG-4C”. Generally “baby” turned out to be quite sophisticated and simple, for example, it is not packaged with on-Board power supply, had only one steering the machine and a simple mechanical gyroscope with promotion. Accordingly, it was inexpensive – the cost of one round there was only 500 RUB Their output reached 40 thousand units per year.
 
The adoption of the ATGM “baby” had a very unusual consequences. After September 1964 the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU N. With. Khrushchev visited the demonstration of exercises with combat shooting in Kubinka near Moscow, where he demonstrated this latest Russian anti-tank combat means, he with his usual categorically said: “Tanks are no longer needed. All of them will destroy ATGM”. As a result, in the USSR was a closed program for the development of heavy tanks, despite the fact that at the exit was very interesting machine.
 
War machine 9P137 complex
 
War machine 9P137 complex “Falanga-P” in the stowed position launcher stowed in the fighting compartment. From the exposition of the Military historical Museum in Saint-Petersburg
 
War machine 9П124
 
War machine 9П124
 
In 1960, the Soviet Army was adopted 2К8 self-propelled ATGM “Phalanx” with a radio command guidance system, along with war machine 2П32 on the chassis of BRDM, developed in OKB-16 design Bureau (now KB tochnogo mashinostroeniya im. A. Nudelman). A few years later the same design Bureau were carried out works on modernization of the “Phalanx”, which ended in 1967, adopting self-propelled 2К8М complex “Falanga-M” with fighting machine 9П124 on the basis of BRDM-2.
 
9П124 design was similar 9П122, but due to the large size of 9М17М missile “Falanga-M” compared to the “little ones” to lift the launcher they are placed not six, but only four. Package rails on this car were located in the fighting compartment in the middle of the body. In addition to the four missiles on the rails, ready to start, inside the machine there was a combat pack with six. On the package guides are mounted to the roof of the fighting compartment.
Missile “Falanga-M” received a powder compact gyro with the promotion from the products of combustion of gunpowder charge, which was able to reduce the time of preparation of the projectile to be launched. Is the power plant of two engines (starter and main) was applied a lighter single-chamber dual-mode engine with twice the fuel capacity. As a result of modernization of the range of the projectile increased up to 4000 m, the average speed has increased from 150 to 230 m/s, but the starting mass of the projectile uvelichelos to 31 kg.
 
Complex was made at the Kovrov mechanical plant № 575.
 
By the mid-1960s, Soviet military experts came to the conclusion that though anti-missile systems with manual control system basically meets the requirements of the organization anti-tank defence and provide a reliable destruction of the major models of armored vehicles, the armament of the armies of potential enemies, but for their successful operation required is too time-consuming and laborious preparation of the calculations, and then their regular exercise at the gym. But in terms of the recruitment system of the Soviet Army at the recruiting principle to prepare a sufficient number of operators of antitank guided missiles, able to effectively apply the existing systems with manual control mode, was not possible. As a result, in 1966, a competition was announced for the development of self-propelled anti-tank systems with semi-automatic control mode. These were the “Malyutka-P”, “Falanga-P” and “Competition”.
 
9М17М anti-tank guided missile
 
9М17М of anti-tank guided missile “Falanga-M”:
 
1 – fairing; 2 – cumulative warhead; 3 – instrument Bay; 4 – nozzle; 5 – instrument compartment; 6 – marker; 7 – socket connections to the media

 
9М17П guided missile
 
9М17П guided missile “Falanga-P” calibre 142 mm with semi-automatic radio command control. In the active phase of the trajectory the rocket speeds up to 170 m/s, keeping it on the March; flight range – 4000 m
 
In 1969 in engineering Design Bureau in Kolomna spent the next upgrade ATRA 9К11, which was developed by semi-automatic version of the complex 9К11П “Malyutka-P” with the new version of the missile 9М14П.
 
With semi-automatic guidance system gunner using an optical sight observed only for the target, and tracking the missile and generation of control commands implemented by the instrument system automatically and transmitted on Board the missile. The use of semi-automatic control mode, however, led to a slight increase in the weight and dimensions of the equipment itself and the guided missile.
 
Specifically for this complex was developed new combat vehicle 9П133, also on the basis of BRDM-2. Her ammunition was 16 missiles: six were fixed on the guides and ten were placed inside the fighting compartment of the machine.
 
ATRA 9К11П “Malyutka-P” was adopted by order of the Minister of defence No. 0232 dated December 18, 1969
War machine 9П133 was produced at the Arzamas machine building plant (according to others, and at the Saratov aggregate plant). Serial production was started in 1971 and lasted until 1984 the complex was made in Kovrov.
 
Externally of the machine 9П122 and 9П133 were very similar.
 
9П113 were exported to Warsaw Pact countries, as well as Iraq, Cuba, Libya, Mongolia, Syria and other countries.
 
War machine 9P137 became part of the anti-missile system 2К8П “Falanga-P”. Development of the guided missile 9М17П complex with semi-automatic control via radio began at the Decree of the USSR from may 24, 1967 after three years ATGM “Phalanx-P” has been successfully tested and may 23, 1972 by Order of the Minister of defence of the USSR was adopted. The complex had higher accuracy and greater range (up to 4000 m), however, compared with the complex “Malyutka-P”, it was more expensive and not widespread.
 
BRDM 9P137 looked similar to the car 9П124 “Falanga-M”, but the head is an optical viewfinder on it was placed not in front of the front window and on the hatch operator.
 
Combat vehicle 9P148
 
9P148 combat vehicle
 
9P148 combat vehicle ATRA 9K113
 
9P148 combat vehicle ATRA 9K113 “Competition”
 
9P137 was able to launch missiles with rate of fire 2 RDS./min. Time to bring in the firing position was 20 s. ammunition – 8 guided missiles. Combat vehicle weight 9P137 – about 7 tons Crew 2 people
 
Since the “Phalanx” was considered “heavy” rocket, the batteries of these anti-tank systems went into service anti-tank parts are not regimental/divisional, corps and army level.
 
For the first time war machine 9P137 was demonstrated to the public in 1973 On the export of she delivered, and stayed in the “front line” for long. Due to the missile complex were considered not very successful and at the first opportunity it was replaced by more modern anti-tank systems “Sturm-C” (combat vehicle 9P149 on the chassis of the MT-LB).
 
In January 1974, the Soviet Army was adopted by the self-propelled ATRA 9K113 “Competition” composed of combat vehicle 9P148 ATGM. It was developed on the basis of BRDM-2 (GAZ-41-08) and intended for transport, guidance, and launch anti-tank guided missiles. Its work is carried out in several stages. The first one is the search and detection, tracking targets, and for surveillance of the terrain. At this time the car was transferred from traveling to combat, trained electrical circuits to start and a selection guide for the rocket launch. When you switch to the next mode start – waged a continuous observation of the target through the device 9Ш119М1 – produced launch and missile control. The machine then translated to the stowed position and reload missiles was carried out in the mode of reloading.
 
On the launcher the fighting machine could be set up to five transport-launch containers with guided missiles 9М113 “Competition”. The weight of one container was 26.5 kg in Total ammunition consisted of 15 missiles 9М113 or 10 missiles 9М113 and 10 missiles 9М111, were admitted, and combinations of these missiles.
 
9М113 ATGM
 
9М113 ATGM “Competition”:
 
1 – aerodynamic handlebars; 2 – cumulative warhead; 3 – solid-fuel engine; 4 – nozzle; 5 – wings; 6 top; 7 – battery; 8 – coil wire; 9 – tracer

 
Launcher with five guides and placed them on missiles 9М113
 
Launcher with five guides and placed them on missiles 9М113 “Competition”
 
Combat vehicle 9P149
 
Combat vehicle 9P149
 
The location of the missiles in the case of BM 9P149
 
The location of the missiles in the case of BM 9P149
 
Machine control BRDM-2U
 
Machine control BRDM-2U
 
Download car full ammunition lasted 15 minutes. Unlike all the other systems previously adopted in the Soviet Army, the package guides 9P148 could be recharged by calculation without exiting the machine. After the start of the shot container is automatically reset.
 
The rockets made only. However, the design of the guidance drives the guides allowed to fire and low-flying aircraft and helicopters, and afloat at targets on the shore and on the water. The angle of the horizontal guidance of the launcher was 20°. The rate of fire at maximum range reached 2 to 3 RDS./min.
 
Calculation fighting machine – two people: a driver and commander-operator. For surveillance of the terrain, the search and select targets the workstation is equipped with two observation devices ТНГ10-170 and optical sight 9Ш119М1, which had a viewing angle of 5° and a tenfold increase.
 
Negotiations between members of the crew was carried out through the tank intercom R-124. For the implementation of long-distance communication, there was a radio station R-123М. In combat vehicles produced from October 1, 1988, installed radio R-173 with improved performance.
 
Part of the additional weapons machines included remote launcher 9P135. She, along with ammunition could be brought from the combat vehicle and used independently from it.
Guided missile 9М113 “Competition” was developed on the basis of existing 9М111 missiles “Fagot” and was arranged on the aerodynamic configuration “duck”. The control system in flight – semi-automatic with command transmission by wire. Operator from the moment of departure of the missile from the container until the moment of hitting the target, held the crosshairs of a grid of optical sight on the target, while the rocket is automatically displayed on the line of sight. The location of the rocket were determined by infrared radiation, its lamp lights. In addition to semi-automatic control system, to improve the accuracy in terms of optical interference, was introduced by the manual correction on the final trajectory. The minimum range a missile 9М113 was about 75 m and defined a range of arming, and the maximum is 4000 m.
 
The production of ATRA was organized in 1974 at the enterprise “Mayak” in Kirov, later was transferred to the Association “Tula arms plant”.
 
ATRA 9K113 was armed with antitank battery of motorized rifle regiments and separate anti-tank artillery battalions of motorized rifle divisions.
 
9P148 combat vehicles were exported to Warsaw Pact countries, Afghanistan, India, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Finland and others. In India since 1989 9P148 were licensed.
 
In 1967 began the development of the vehicle management of military units, including complexes of ATRA, on the basis of BRDM-2 under the designation BRDM-2U. It was intended for commanders of battalion and regimental level infantry divisions.
 
From a linear machine it is distinguished by the absence of the tower (in its place there was a semicircular hatch), the installation of the radio station R-123 and two additional – one on each side. Inside the enclosure was equipped with jobs for officer and radio operator. The car was equipped with auxiliary generators to power electrical equipment in the Parking lot (later it was installed in a rectangular protective casing behind the hatch on the roof of the housing) and battery high capacity.
 
On a later BRDM-2U saved the tower with weapons.
 
THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ATRA
 
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS ATRA
 
THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MISSILE
 
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF MISSILES
 
 
V. TALANOV

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