9K111 Fagot Explained

Fagot
Origin:Soviet Union
Type:Anti-tank weapon
Is Ranged:yes
Is Explosive:yes
Is Missile:yes
Service:1970–present
Used By:See Operators
Designer:Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP)
Design Date:1962
Production Date:1970
Variants:See Models
Length:1100mm
Action:400 mm versus RHA or 200 mm toward armour inclined at 60°
Rate:3 rds / min
Range:70m-2500mm (230feet-8,200feetm)
Guidance:SACLOS wire-guided missile
Diameter:120mm
Filling:High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead
Filling Weight:1.7kg (03.7lb)

The 9K111 Fagot (Russian: Фагот; "bassoon") is a second-generation tube-launched semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union for use from ground or vehicle mounts. The 9K111 Fagot missile system was developed by the Tula KBP Design Bureau for Instrument Building. 9M111 is the designation for the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-4 Spigot.

Development

The 9K111 Fagot was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP) and development began in 1962 with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) for use in two roles: as man portable and tank destroyer. The 9K111 Fagot was developed alongside the 9M113 Konkurs; both missiles use similar technology, differing in size only, and can use the same launchers. The missile entered service in 1970.

History

The anti-tank platoon of a Soviet BTR equipped motor rifle battalion had two (sometimes three)[1] ATGM squads, each with two 9K111 Fagot teams. The team consisted of three men; the gunner carries the 9P135 launcher and tripod as a back pack, and the other two men each carry two launch tubes. The men also carry assault rifles, but do not carry a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), because unlike the earlier missiles there is only a small deadzone within which the missile cannot engage the target. Besides the four missiles carried by each team, each squad would normally have an extra eight missiles carried in their transport, usually a BTR. It can also be deployed from the BMP-1P, BMD-1P, BTR-D and UAZ-469.

North Korea was said to have acquired a number of the systems during the late 1980s until the 2000s. These were subsequently reverse-engineered under the designation Bulsae-2.[2] It was advertised under designation AT-4MLB by North Korean proxy company GLOCOM, in brochure it was stated that it is controlled by laser beam guidance method,[3] [4] which was an upgrade designated Bulsae-3.[5] [6] Its use was first reported in 2014 in the ranks of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades.[7]

Description

The missile is stored and carried in a container/launch tube. It is fired from a 9P135 launcher post, a simple tripod. A 9S451 guidance box is fitted to the tripod with the missile sitting just above. The 9Sh119 sight is fitted to the left side (from the gunner's point of view). The complete launcher system weighs 22.5kg (49.6lb). The gunner lies prone while firing. The system can engage moving targets travelling at less than 60km/h. The launcher post can traverse through 360 degrees horizontally, and ±20 degrees in elevation. The sight has a magnification of 10× and a 5 degree field of view. Up to three missiles a minute can be fired from a launcher post.

The system uses a gas generator to push the missile out of the launch tube, with the gas exiting the rear of the launch tube in a manner similar to a recoilless rifle. The missile leaves the launch tube at 80m/s, and is then quickly accelerated to 186m/s by its solid fuel motor. This initial high speed reduces the missile's deadzone, since it can be launched directly at the target, rather than in an upward arc.

The launcher tracks the position of an incandescent infrared bulb on the back of the missile relative to the target and transmits appropriate commands to the missile via a thin wire that trails behind the missile. The SACLOS guidance system has many benefits over manual command to line of sight (MCLOS), with the accuracy of the system stated as 90% in some sources, though its performance is probably comparable to the TOW or the later SACLOS versions of the 9M14 Malyutka.

Models

Missile

[11] 9M111/AT-4A9M111-2/AT-4B9M111M/AT-4C
Launch tube weight13kg (29lb)13kg (29lb)13.4kg (29.5lb)
Range75–2,000 m75–2,500 m75–2,500 m
WarheadHEAT, 400 mm RHA penetrationHEAT, 460 mm RHA penetrationHEAT, 600 mm RHA penetration

Launcher

Operators

Current operators

Former operators

Non-state actors

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Owen. Garry. MRB Anti-Tank Platoon (APC). Red Guards Index. 16 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160112004735/http://www.1stusvcav.com/red_guards/TOE_MRB_APC_AT_platoon.html. 12 January 2016. live.
  2. Web site: North Korea Country Handbook: Marine Corps Intelligence Activity. Fas.org. 2017-07-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111733/http://fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nkor.pdf. 2016-03-04. live.
  3. Book: Target Markets: North Korea's Military Customers. 9781351713009. Berger. Andrea. 14 July 2017. Taylor & Francis .
  4. Web site: Glocom is at It Again.
  5. http://www.military-today.com/missiles/bulsae_2.htm Bulsae-2
  6. https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/03/18/state-of-north-korean-military-pub-81232 The State of the North Korean Military
  7. Web site: Oryx Blog on DPRK Arms Exports . 2017-09-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170920193047/http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207370/oryx-blog-on-dprk-arms-exports/ . 2017-09-20 . live.
  8. Maksim Sayenko. "Bronya »krylyatoy pyekhoty«" (Armour of "Winged infantry"). Tekhnika i Vooruzhenie no.02/2007, p. 39 (Russian)
  9. Web site: ПТРК 9К111 "ФАГОТ" . Btvt.narod.ru . 2017-07-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511054241/http://btvt.narod.ru/4/fagot.htm . 2012-05-11 . live.
  10. Web site: Onlinedisk - ваше хранилище файлов . www.onlinedisk.ru . 14 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324015901/http://www.onlinedisk.ru/file/610277/ . 24 March 2012 . dead.
  11. http://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/BB06%20-%20AT-4%20Spigot.html 9K111 Fagot
  12. Web site: Trade Registers . Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . 27 May 2023.
  13. Book: International Institute for Strategic Studies . The Military Balance 2023 . 15 February 2023 . Routledge . 978-1032508955 . 1st . International Institute for Strategic Studies .
  14. Book: Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2012/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2012-Chapter-04-EN.pdf. Blue Skies and Dark Clouds: Kazakhstan and Small Arms. Cambridge University Press. 2012. Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey. 131. 978-0-521-19714-4. 2018-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20180831002411/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2012.html. 2018-08-31. dead.
  15. Web site: North Korea has upgraded old anti-tank missile with laser guided system called Bulsae-3 . 2018-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712032200/https://armyrecognition.com/weapons_defence_industry_military_technology_uk/north_korea_has_upgraded_old_anti-tank_missile_with_laser_guided_system_called_bulsae-3.html . 2018-07-12 . live.
  16. Book: 165 ani de existență a artileriei române moderne. https://web.archive.org/web/20110826040121/http://rft.forter.ro/17_bibvirt/pdf/001-165_de_ani_de_existenta_a_artileriei.pdf . 26 August 2011. Adrian . Stroea . ro . Bucharest . 2008 . 220.
  17. Book: V. Hogg . Ian . Jane's infantry weapons 1988-89 . 1988 . Jane's Pub. Co . London . 978-0710608574 . 14th.
  18. Book: Institute for Strategic Studies . The military balance, 1989-1990 . 1989 . Brassey's . London . 978-0080375694 . Institute for Strategic Studies .
  19. Book: Institute for Strategic Studies . The military balance, 2011 . 4 March 2011 . Routledge . London . 978-1857436068 . Institute for Strategic Studies .
  20. Web site: Pirat coraz bliżej . 2018-01-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180115184703/http://polska-zbrojna.pl/home/articleshow/21502?t=Pirat-coraz-blizej . 2018-01-15 . live.
  21. News: US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed . Jeremy . Binnie . Neil . Gibson . IHS . Jane's Defence Weekly . 8 April 2016 . 3 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161205081205/http://www.janes.com/article/59374/us-arms-shipment-to-syrian-rebels-detailed . 5 December 2016 . live.
  22. Web site: Oryx Blog on DPRK Arms Exports . https://archive.today/20141229151248/http://lewis.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/7370/oryx-blog-on-dprk-arms-exports_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=9&lang=en . dead . 2014-12-29 . Jeffrey Lewis . 2014-12-29.
  23. Web site: North Korea Says It Has a New Anti-Tank Missile . 29 February 2016 . 2018-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163624/https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a19663/north-korea-anti-tank-missile/ . 2018-06-12 . live.
  24. Web site: Irak'ta hava savunma ve tanksavar füzeleri ele geçirildi. 10 May 2021.

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