AT-1 Snapper

Notes: The Soviet’s first attempt at an ATGM, the Snapper is now considered an antique. Nevertheless, the Snapper can still be found in mobilization-only units and Third World nations like North Korea. The AT-1 can be used from a ground mount or from makeshift vehicle mounts; some of the original mountings include quadruple mounts on BRDM and UAZ-469 vehicles. The AT-1 is a very slow missile; on a smooth road, some vehicles may actually be able to outrun it.

AT-2 Swatter

Notes: This old ATGM currently has the same status as the AT-1. The AT-2 is occasionally found on some very old BRDMs or UAZ-469s on a 4-round mount. The 3M11 missile is radio-guided and thus susceptible to jamming; 9M17M and 9M17P missiles use IR guidance and cannot be jammed, but can be affected by flares or screening smoke.

Notes: This is the Western designation for the 9K11 Malyutka ATGM. It was first introduced in the early 1960s, and over the years, there were several new versions of the missile to cope with increasing armor threats and to increase flexibility. It is a wire guided missile that is guided from a separate guidance unit that may be physically separated from the launcher by up to 3 meters, connected by wire. The missile is very difficult to guide and requires considerable operator skill and practice, since the operator must keep both the target and missile in his sights for the entire duration of the flight. The AT-3 has long been out of service in most Warsaw Pact armies as well as Russian Category 1 and 2 units, but is still issued to lower category units and the armies of many Third World countries.

Notes: This man-portable replaced the AT-3 Sagger in most Russian units as well as those of most First World and Second World Soviet and Russian client states. It is a large improvement in terms of guidance over the Sagger, and many comparisons have been made between the AT-4 and the Milan with regards to form factor and method of guidance. Though the AT-4’s tripod/sight unit are less bulky, they are heavier than that of the Milan; the AT-4 also lacks the toughness of the Milan’s electronics and is quite easy to put out of commission by a stray bump or being dropped in the wrong way. Most AT-4’s are sold with a clip-on night vision system; this is IR in the case of export systems, but usually thermal vision for Russian systems. A handicap of both of these night vision systems is that neither has the range of the 9M111-2 or 9M111M missiles that can be fired from it (2000 meters of range for the NOD, 2500 meters of range for the missiles mentioned). A later thermal imaging unit increases the observation range of the viewer to 3600 meters. Despite these shortcomings, the AT-4 has proliferated widely throughout the world. Note that the updated 9P135M-series firing units may also fire AT-5 Spandrel missiles.

Croatia has a variant with an alternate Wire MCLOS guidance system. This is for use in high-countermeasures environments.

Notes: The Spandrel was designed to replace older AT-1, 2, and 3 missiles on vehicular launchers. It was supposed to replace all vehicular AT-1, AT-2, and AT-3 missiles, there are still a lot of AT-3 and even in some smaller countries, AT-2 missiles in circulation. In some cases, the older missiles were in fact replaced by AT-4 ATGM. Also, in some cases, the deployment of the AT-5 has been leapfrogged by the newer AT-14 system. In addition, provisions were made to allow the AT-5 to be fired from newer iterations of the AT-4 Spigot launcher.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Though the AT-5 was massively deployed, generations of missiles as early as AT-1 continued to be used by Mobilization-Only units and by Third World countries such as North Korea and Afghanistan.

AT-6 Spiral

Notes: This missile is designed for use as a helicopter and aircraft armament. It is designed as an antitank weapon, but has limited use as an air-to-air missile. The 9M114, 9M114M1, and 9M114G1 missiles use frequency-hopping radio guidance and must be guided throughout their entire flight; the 9M114M2 and 9M114G2 use IR Fire-and-Forget guidance, but can be decoyed by flares or screening smoke.

Notes: Originally believed to be in form and function similar to the US Dragon ATGM, that missile was subsequently revealed to in fact be a captured Dragon that the Soviets were testing with the intent to reverse-engineer. They found the Dragon’s performance as lacking as US troops did, and came up with their own missile instead. The actual AT-7 is a tube-launched missile mounted on a lightweight tripod launcher. It is small and light and can even be used against slow-moving helicopters or aircraft. It is normally issued with the 1PN86V/Mulat-115 thermal imaging sight, and I have included this as part of the AT-7’s cost. The AT-7 can be fired from enclosed spaces, though Russian doctrine recommends at least 2 meters of space between the back of the weapon and the wall. If fired at a target less than 500 meters away, the AT-7 may be shoulder-fired.

AT-8 Songster

Notes: Called Kobra in Russian service, this ATGM is fired through the gun tube of the T-64, T-72, T-80, T-86, T-90, and T-94 tanks, addressing their poor long-range gun accuracy. The Songster is carried in two stages, which click together in the gun tube. The autoloader cannot handle the Songster, so the gunner must leave his station and load the missile by hand, and this causes a long loading time. The Songster is guided by the tank’s laser rangefinder. It can also be used to engage helicopters.

*The Songster may be fired at shorter ranges, but the guidance system may not acquire the missile in time to properly guide it. If fired at a target between 750-999 meters away, hitting the target is one level more difficult; if fired at a range of 500-749 meters, hitting is two levels more difficult; and if fired at a range of 100-499 meters, hitting is three levels more difficult.

Notes: This is known to the Russians as the 9M120 Ataka. The AT-9 is an upgraded AT-6, with a better guidance system that is more resistant to jamming, a somewhat faster speed of 2000 meters per phase, and a longer range and more effective warhead. Most use of the AT-9 is from helicopters, particularly the Mi-24, Mi-28, Mi-38, and Mi-40 series, the Helix series, and the Ka-50s. The AT-9 has sufficient speed and guidance capability that it can be used against helicopters and slower aircraft. The AT-9 is one of the rarer Russian ATGM, despite having not been introduced until 1990; the Russians developed a heavier and more advanced version of the AT-6/AT-9 series, the AT-16, soon thereafter.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Special operations variants of the Ka-60 and Ka-115 are also capable of using the AT-9. About 10% of the MT-LB AT-6 ATGM vehicles were also able to use the AT-9.

Merc 2000 Notes: Production of this missile was dropped within 4 months of its introduction in favor of the AT-16.

Notes: This is a laser-guided ATGM fired from the gun barrel of a tank or IFV using a 100mm or 115mm gun and equipped with certain special equipment. There are seven versions of the Stabber, consisting four basic versions and three improved versions. The basic versions are the 9M117 Bastion (fired by a specially-equipped version of the T-55 tank known as the T-55 AM2), the 9M117 Kastet (fired by versions of the MT-12 field gun equipped with a laser guidance module), the 9M117 Basnya (fired by BMP-3 IFV’s), and the 9M116 Sheksna (fired by a specially-modified T-62 tank known as the T-62M). The improved versions are the 9M117M1 Kan (fired by the MT-12 field gun, as above), the 9M117M1 Arkan (fired by the BMP-3), and the 9M116M1 Sheksna (fired by the T-62M). The difference between the basic and improved versions is the tandem warhead used by the improved models to allow a better result against ERA. The basic rounds are all virtually identical (except for the caliber difference between the 9M117 and 9M116), but are different enough that they cannot be interchanged; a Kastet cannot be fired from a BMP-3, an MT-12 cannot fire a Bastion, etc. The same is true for the improved missiles. The speed of the 9M116 and 9M117 missiles is 1850 meters per phase, while the heavier 9M116M and 9M117M fly at 1500 meters per phase.

Notes: This is an improved gun-fired ATGM designed for later Russian tanks. There are three types of Sniper missiles: the 9M119 Svir, fired by the T-72B, T-72S, and 2A45M antitank gun; and the 9M119 Reflecks and 9M119M Reflecks-M, fired by the T-80B, T-80U, T-84, T-90, and T-94 tanks. The difference between the Reflecks and Reflecks-M is largely in the warhead, which is tandem for Reflecks-M, and a more powerful motor in the Reflecks-M. While a vehicle that is capable of firing the Reflecks may fire the Svir, a vehicle designed for the Svir cannot fire the Reflecks.

Notes: This ATGM is an improved version of the AT-7 Saxhorn ATGM. The AT-13 can use an add-on thermal sight, and the missile has a larger warhead with a choice of two warheads. The AT-13 can be fired from a confined space, though a minimum distance of 2 meters is recommended between the rear of the missile and any wall that may be present.

Notes: This weapon was intended to replace the AT-5 Spandrel ATGM, but as it was not introduced until 1994, it has not yet fully supplanted that system. It is a laser-guided system, and all the operator must do is to keep the crosshairs on target to ensure a hit. A thermal sight is added for night use.

AT-15 Springer

Notes: This is a new ATGM fired from the KBM tank destroyer. The AT-15 may be guided using millimeter-wave radar or laser guidance. The AT-15 comes in two warheads, a HEAT warhead and a thermobaric warhead for engaging troops and bunkers. The fate of the AT-15 is in doubt; the Russians don’t have a lot of money for the program, and they haven’t managed to attract any foreign buyers.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The first use of the AT-15 was in August of 1997 in the Ukraine, but it was not often seen during the Twilight War.

Notes: Known as the 9M127 Vikhr to the Russians, the Scallion was introduced shortly after the AT-9 Spiral-2, and is a greatly-improved version of that missile and the AT-6 Spiral. It is a fast, powerful missile that is used not only from the latest Russian attack helicopters, but also from aircraft such as the SU-25 and SU-39 Frogfoot, and the various versions of the Flanker. Several versions of the Scallion are available for the Twilight War, including a few experimental models that are rather rare. The Scallion has the speed and maneuverability to take down helicopters and slow-flying aircraft; the 9M227F is particularly useful for this, as it can be used as a conventional heat-seeking air-to-air missile in addition to being able to attack ground targets. Speed of the 9M127 series is 2000 meters per phase, while the speed of the 9M227 series is 2175 meters per phase.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The MiG-35, MiG-37, and Su-40 are also able to use the AT-16. Though it was not designed for firing from ground vehicles, some of the MT-LB AT-6 ATGM carriers were reportedly modified late in the war to use the Scallion.

Notes: This weapon does not exist in real life.

Twilight/Merc 2000 Notes: When the Russians decided to use a 135mm main gun on the T-95 and Black Eagle tanks, most of the gun’s designers felt the gun-fired ATGM was not necessary anymore, considering the variety of ammunition they developed for the gun, the gun’s range advantage over the 125mm gun, and the superior fire control system on those tanks. However, the Army felt that new technology would also allow for a more effective missile that could be fired through the main gun, and also allow the T-95 and Black Eagle to do some things that other tanks could not. To this end, the 9M133 Rosomaha (Wolverine) was developed, known to the West by the NATO reporting name AT-17 Satchel. Like other gun-fired Russian ATGMs, the Satchel comes in a variety of warheads, including some normally found only in the West, to allow it to accomplish antivehicle, antipersonnel, antibunker, and antihelicopter attacks at extended range. With a speed of 2400 meters per phase, the missile is swift and deadly.