The 9M14 Malyutka (Cyrillic: Малютка, lit. "Little One"), NATO designation AT-3 Sagger, was the first Soviet-designed man-portable anti-tank missile system. The initial version was a first-generation system, using MCLOS (manual command line of sight) guidance and a rail launcher. Later variants are second-generation SACLOS (semi active command line of sight) weapons.
History[]
The Soviet Union drew up the requirements for the AT-3 based on Western missile systems of the time, of which they had acquired several samples: these included the Nord Aviation SS.10, the ENTAC, and the Swiss Cobra ATGM. Tula Arsenal and Kolomna Machine Design Bureau were assigned to produce competing designs, with the requirements being a range no less than 3,000 meters, penetration of not less than 200mm RHA equivalent at an angle of 60°, missile weight of not more than 10 kilograms, and designs for both infantry and vehicle launchers.
The design from Kolomna was selected for further testing, with all testing completed by Decemeber 20th 1962 and production approved on 16th September 1963. The re-ordered Soviet force structure following the weapon's adoption gave each Motor Rifle Division a dedicated anti-tank platoon, with two sections each consisting of two three-man launcher teams.
The AT-3 was first deployed in combat by the North Vietnamese Army in 1972, having been supplied to them by the Soviet Union. During the battle for the port of Cua Viet in January 1973, 26 kills of ARVN M48 Patton tanks and M113 APCs were attributed to the system.
The system proved highly effective against Israeli tanks in the early stages of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, with some 25% of vehicle causalities credited to the AT-3. This was in a large part due to Israeli commanders refusing to take the threat of the new Soviet missile seriously: while leaflets based on Vietnam-era US information had been printed and even some tentative counter-tactics developed, neither had been disseminated to troops. The average Israeli tank crew did not even know the system existed at the start of the war.
The Israeli losses led to a period nicknamed the "Sagger Panic" in which the future of the tank as a concept was questioned. This was not helped by ridiculous overestimation of the AT-3's capabilities: while it had a similar maximum range to US tank guns and one of the best HEAT warheads in the world at the time, US analysts credited it with a 90% hit probability at all ranges from 500 to 3,000 meters (compared to the 105 mm tank gun's 55% at 1,500 meters and 10% at 3,000 meters) and a 67% kill probability at 2,500 meters.[1] Some US Congressmen floated plans to retire all tanks currently in service in favor of a military consisting entirely of missile-armed lightly armored vehicles resembling Jeeps, though these plans never proceeded anywhere. The missile was so ubiquitous as a perceived threat that US tank crews took to referring to evasive manoeuvre drills as the "Sagger dance."
In the event, counter-tactics were quickly developed: a combination of the use of smokescreens, erratic vehicle movements on sighting a missile which would kick up screening dust, and the use of counter-fire at suspected launch sites to distract or kill the operators greatly decreased the threat. Later hit probability estimates against armored vehicles from actual combat run from 25% to as low as 2% with untrained operators.
Second-generation SACLOS variants of the AT-3 were developed by the Soviet Union as a stopgap while development continued on the 9M113 Konkurs (NATO: AT-5 Spandrel) and the advanced RF-guided 9M114 Shturm (NATO: AT-6 Spiral). On helicopters they served as a supplement to the 3M11/9M11/9M17 missile (NATO: AT-2 Swatter).
While the Soviet Union itself never developed a SACLOS infantry variant of the AT-3 as the 9M111 Fagot (NATO: AT-4 Spigot) had already replaced it in service, several foreign infantry SACLOS clones do exist. These are mostly guided using an adapted version of the 9P135 launcher for the AT-4 and AT-5.
The AT-3 is one of the most heavily produced ATGM systems, and only does not beat the BGM-71 TOW for the title of "most widely exported" because a substantial number of nations produce their own domestic copies. Despite the age of the system, its low cost and simplicity have given it remarkable tenacity: Russia was still producing updated variants of the SACLOS version in the 1990s, and many former Soviet states still field enhanced versions. It has also proved extremely popular with non-state forces, turning up in the hands of various militias, rebels and terrorist groups and being deployed during the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars.
Design Details[]
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9M14 missile with 9M14-2 Malyutka-2 (AT-3D) warhead with standoff rod retracted, on 9P111 carrying case (lid only), with firing cable, 9S415 control console and 9Sh16 spotting periscope
Almost all variants of the AT-3 are wire-guided missiles using a rail launcher. This allows the system to be mounted on vehicles easily as a rail can simply be mounted over the host vehicle's main gun.
Vehicles using the system included the BMP-1 and BMD-1 APCs, the BRDM series of scout cars (including the 9P110 tank destroyer variant of the BRDM-1 and 9P122 and 9P133 variants of the BRDM-2, which mounted 6 rails on a pop-up launcher concealed under an armored flap at the rear of the vehicle), and helicopters including the Mi-2, Mi-8, Mi-24 and Yugoslavian Soko Gazelles.
In infantry use, a three-man fireteam (gunner and two "assistant gunners") was issued the AT-3 as a "manpack system." This has the GRAU index 9K11: the code is for one 9S415 control unit, one 9Sh16 8× magnifying, 22.5° FOV periscope sight, and two 9P111 fiberglass backpack carry case/launcher units with missiles. In the West this was generally referred to as the "suitcase" configuration. The gunner would carry the sighting unit, and the two assistant gunners the missile containers. In addition to this, in Soviet use one of the assistant gunners would be issued an RPG-7 to engage targets closer than the missile's minimum range.
The complete 9K11 system in carrying configuration.
A trained crew takes around five minutes to go from carrying the system to having it set up and ready to fire. One control box can be connected to up to four launchers using ports on the front, with a four-position selector switch allowing the operator to choose which order the missiles fire in. Only one missile can be guided at a time. The length of the command cable meant missiles could be placed up to 49 feet (15 meters) from the control box: Soviet ambush tactics tended to prefer concealing missiles as far from the control box as possible, with the gunner dug in so that only the top of the periscope was visible. The control box is powered by its own battery pack, with a dial indicating the battery level located on the front of the box.
The infantry MCLOS versions are controlled directly using an analog joystick on the 9S415 control box, with the operator having to steer the missile while manually keeping track of both it and the target. This is notoriously difficult to achieve against moving targets, and requires extensive operator training: some sources claim the Soviet military required an operator to complete 2,300 firings using an electronic simulator before they were considered proficient with the system, and would thereafter expect them to complete 50-60 simulated firings per week to maintain familiarity.[2] The simulator systems were field-portable, allowing even troops on the frontline to maintain their operator training.
Older variants can take up to 26 seconds to reach their maximum range, the slow speed of the missile making evasive action readily possible. A flare is mounted on the missile's tail to assist in visual tracking. At a range of less than 1,000 meters, the operator can guide the missile using the naked eye: at longer ranges, it is necessary to use the periscope sight. The system can control the missile within a 45-degree "fan" from the front of the launcher.
The missile can be tracked at night due to the tail-mounted flare, with the principle difficulty being locating targets: in theory, any night vision spotting scope could be used in concert with the system to achieve this. Slovenia produces a dedicated thermal night sight for the AT-3 called the Iskra TS-M: there is not a lot of information available about this system, aside from that it is capable of distinguishing targets at the missile's maximum range and has sufficient resolution for the operator to positively identify vehicles at 1.1 miles (1.8 km).
SACLOS versions use an infrared-based daysight tracker, with the gunner keeping the target centered in the crosshairs of the tracker's optical sight. The tracker detects an IR beacon on the missile's tail and transmits course corrections using the command wires (or via an RF datalink on the Serbian 2T5).
Ammunition[]
9M14 missile in its 9P111 carrying case.
The 9M14 missile (initially called 3M14 prior to changes to the GRAU index system) is the common element of the system. It is designed to break down into warhead and engine sections and fold down its single set of four fins for easier transport, and this modularity also allows the warhead to be easily swapped out. This means that advanced warheads from SACLOS variants of the system can still be employed on MCLOS missile bodies.
Most variants of the missile use an impact-fuzed hollow-charge anti-tank warhead, with later variants having standoff rods to improve performance by optimizing formation of the kinetic jet from the warhead. The most recent derivatives have tandem-charge warheads to defeat explosive reactive armor, and a Russian variant with a thermobaric warhead has been developed for improved anti-structure and anti-infantry performance.
Propulsion is a single-stage "hot launch" with the solid-fuel rocket motor taking up most of the rear section. The missile has four vectored-thrust steering nozzles near the join between the rear section and warhead, and two main exhaust vents on the sides near the rear. The latter is because the command wire spool unfurls from the base of the missile. The missile is spin-stabilized in flight, rotating around 8.5 times per second, and orients itself using an internal gyroscope.
The missile arms almost instantly during launch and in MCLOS versions is actually capable of being controlled by the operator within 5 yards of the launcher, through the use of vectored thrust. However, the missile only brings itself within line of sight of the control station to be "captured" after flying around 550 yards (500m).
Later missiles designed for vehicle use have a longer engine section which precludes them from being launched from the 9P111 carrying case.
Variants[]
9M14 missile damage to the turret of an Israeli Patton tank destroyed during the Yom Kippur War. The larger hole was created by the HEAT warhead and the smaller one most likely the kinetic impact of the missile's engine.
9M14 Malyutka (NATO: AT-3A Sagger A)
Original MCLOS 1963 variant. Penetration 15.7 in (400 mm) RHA.
9M14M Malyutka-M (NATO: AT-3B Sagger B)
1973. MCLOS version with an improved flight motor. Penetration 15.7 in (400 mm) RHA.
9M14P Malyutka-P (NATO: AT-3C Sagger C)
1969. First SACLOS version. Improved warhead, penetration 16.1 in (460 mm) RHA.
9M14P1 Malyutka-P1
AT-3C variant with a collapsible standoff probe added to the warhead, penetration 20.5 in (520 mm) RHA.
9M14-2 Malyutka-2 (NATO: AT-3D Sagger D)
1992. Improved SACLOS variant, better flight motor and enhanced warhead. Penetration 28.3 in (720 mm) RHA.
9M14-2M Malyutka-2M
AT-3D variant with a tandem-charge warhead. Penetration 28.3 in (720 mm) of RHA behind a layer of ERA.
9M14-2F Malyutka-2F
AT-3D variant with a thermobaric warhead.
9M14-2T Malyutka-2T
Serbian SACLOS variant produced by VTI, with a tandem-charge warhead. Claimed penetration 39.4 in (1,000 mm) of RHA behind a layer of ERA.
9M14-2T5 Malyutka-2T5
9M14-2T5 Malyutka-2T5 mounted on a Serbian BVP M80A infantry fighting vehicle.
Variant of the Serbian 2T using RF guidance instead of command wires. Range increased to 3.1 miles (5 km).
Maliutka M2T
Romanian version produced as a joint project between Electromechanica Ploiesti (ELMEC) of Romania and the Euromissile group. Uses a tandem-charge warhead from the MILAN-2T, penetration 34.6 in (880 mm) RHA behind a layer of ERA.
Hongjian-73
1979. Chinese: 红箭, "Red Arrow," Chinese copy of the AT-3B.
Hongjian-73B
SACLOS-guided variant using a guidance system derived from the Hongjian-8 ATGM system. Can still be used in MCLOS mode with a portable launcher.
Hongjian-73C
Launch of an HJ-73C missile using its portable SACLOS tracker.
Hongjian-73B variant with a standoff probe to improve hollow charge performance. SACLOS mode can now use a portable guidance unit mounted on a tripod. Penetration stated as greater than 19.7 in (500 mm) RHA.
Hongjian-73D
Improved Hongjian-73C with a tandem-charge warhead and aerodynamic fins added to the nose probe.
Raad
Persian: رعد, "thunder," Iranian AT-3B clone produced by DIO.
Raad-T
"Raad Tandem." Tandem-charge variant of Raad.
I-Raad
"Improved Raad." SACLOS guided variant of Raad, uses a tripod-mounted guidance unit similar to Hongjian-73C. Airframe updated to improve manoeuvrability.
I-Raad T
"Improved Raad Tandem." Tandem-charge variant of I-Raad. Added nose probe fins similar to Hongjian-73D.
POLK
Slovenian copy of the AT-3C with a triple-mount launch system.
Kun Wu 1
Taiwanese copy.
Susong-Po
Unlicensed North Korean copy.