Missile 3M11 Fleyta / 9M17 Falanga (AT-2 Swatter)

The 3M11 Fleyta was developed concurrently with the 3M6 Shmel to serve as a heavy anti-tank guided missile for ground-based and aerial platforms. It addressed limitations in speed and range found in earlier designs by utilizing a radio link for command transmission. The system was demonstrated in September 1964 and entered service shortly thereafter.

The missile utilizes a solid fuel rocket engine. Guidance is conducted via radio command link, which facilitates higher flight velocities compared to wire-guided systems but renders the missile susceptible to jamming. Initial models, including the 3M11 and 9M17M, employ Manual Command to Line of Sight (MCLOS) steering. The 9M17P variant, entering service in 1969, introduced Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) guidance. Further iterations, such as the 9M17MP, incorporate an improved engine and signal lamp. The system is equipped with a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead. This warhead provides 500 mm of penetration against Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA), while improved variants provide up to 650 mm of penetration.

The 3M11 was the first Soviet anti-tank missile deployed from helicopters. Launch platforms include the Mi-4AV, Mi-8, Mi-24, and Mi-25 helicopter series, in addition to BRDM-1 and BRDM-2 armored vehicles. The missile was widely exported and remains in service with countries including Angola, Hungary, and Nicaragua. Former operators include the Soviet Union, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and several Warsaw Pact nations. In Russia, the missile is currently used as a training target. Combat deployment occurred during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Angolan War of Independence, the Soviet-Afghan War, the Iran-Iraq War, and the 1982 Lebanon War. The system was replaced in Soviet service by the 9K114 Shturm.