Following affirmation on September 5 that Russian forces had destroyed a British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine, Russian sources have broadly reported that the Kornet anti tank missile was chargeable for the kill. The discharge of a video of the strike captured by a drone confirmed the tank being hit by a guided projectile, with the velocity of the projectile undermining prior British claims {that a} Russian Lancet drone had been accountable. The video additionally successfully debunked claims {that a} direct hit by Russian artillery had destroyed the tank. Claims that the Kornet was used are in line with the footage and the velocity and trajectory of the projectile. This marks a serious victory for the system, which is deployed primarily as a handheld platform but additionally at occasions mounted on gentle autos. The Kornet is a lightweight 28kg handheld missile system which has been in service since 1998, and has gained kills in opposition to extra trendy tank lessons than every other system of its form.
Kornets have been first utilized in fight throughout the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, with Iraqi Republican Guard items thought to have obtained the missile programs by way of black market offers and in defiance of UN Safety Council imposed arms embargoes. The missiles proved extremely efficient in opposition to American Abrams tanks and Bradley preventing autos. Kornets have been used once more three years later in opposition to Israeli Merkava tanks, together with the improved Merkava IV variant, when deployed by Hezbollah in 2006, piercing the armour of not less than two dozen tanks. Militias from the Islamic State terror group additionally used captured Kornets extremely successfully to disable a number of Iraqi Army Abrams tanks from 2014, with some experiences indicating that Kornets have been additionally utilized by the militia to nice impact in opposition to Turkish Leopard 2 tanks in Syria. A notable characteristic of the missile is its tandem-charge warhead, with two HEAT costs separated by its rocket motor permitting for the second cost’s focal size to be elevated. This has the impact of considerably enhancing its penetrative capabilities. The significantly massive dimension of the second warhead contributes to its survivability in opposition to countermeasures reminiscent of explosive reactive armour.
Enhanced variants of the Kornet have continued to be developed, most notably the prolonged vary Kornet-EM which has computerized goal monitoring capabilities and extra superior countermeasures in opposition to explosive reactive armour. Whereas little is thought concerning the missile system’s use in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin in June praised its efficiency stating that there was a necessity for manufacturing of larger portions. He on the time hailed Russian forces’ successes destroying massive portions of Ukrainian armour. Including the Challenger 2 to the Leopard 2, the M1 Abrams and the Merkava IV, the Kornet has confirmed itself a extremely succesful missile regardless of its lack of ‘hearth and overlook’ capabilities as seen on rivals just like the American Javelin and Chinese language HJ-12. With the Merkava reportedly set to be exported by Israel in very appreciable numbers to not less than one NATO member state, that is extremely related to the survivability of Western Bloc armour within the occasion of a possible escalation of hostilities with Russian forces.
After being hit the Ukrainian Challenger 2 was seen emitting a big plume of smoke which appeared to set off a fireplace onboard, with the tank’s lack of blowout panels contributing to an inner explosion which destroyed the turret. This was much like the inner explosions which have destroyed a lot of Russia and Ukraine’s older Soviet constructed tanks because of their comparable lack of adequate measures to separate ammunition. With the Challenger 2 being among the many most closely armoured tanks within the Western world, and having been taken immediately from British Army stockpiles which means they didn’t have downgraded armour as American-supplied Abrams tanks will, the flexibility of the Kornet to neutralise the autos so fully is anticipated to be trigger for vital concern amongst NATO member states. The Kornet itself has penetrative capabilities that are removed from the foremost within the Russian arsenal, with the brand new a lot heavier Vikhr-1 launched by Ka-52 assault helicopters posing a a lot larger risk to heavy armour and sure able to comfortably penetrating the Challenger 2 frontally.
