Russia’s Kornet-D1 air-droppable anti-tank missile system is in the final stage of fire testing, TASS has reported.
“The High Precision Weapons Group has switched to the final stage of firing tests and the vehicle is also undergoing laboratory and road tests,” the outlet quoted Rostec as saying.
The system, developed by the Shipunov Design Bureau of Instrument Making, is an upgrade to the previous Kornet system, inducted in 1998.
The automated system, to be deployed with anti-tank squads of the Airborne Force, has been developed in two versions: for the wheeled Tigr-M armored vehicle and the tracked BMD-4M airborne infantry fighting vehicle.
Fires Two Types of Missile
The D1 uses two types of the laser-guided missile with nearly twice the range of its predecessor at up to 10 km (6.21 miles). It is capable of striking ground, air, and sea-based targets.
The High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) version is reportedly capable of penetrating even reactive armor to a thickness of 1.3 meters. The thermobaric — or aerosol — warhead-equipped version is effective against “entrenched troops, lightly armored vehicles, field fortifications, and buildings,” Military Today reported.
The system fires two missiles simultaneously to strike a single target. When firing at two targets, the system launches missiles within a second of one another.
