Missile 9M113 Konkurs (AT-5 Sprandel)

The 9M113 Konkurs is a Soviet anti-tank missile that entered service in 1974. It was developed as a successor to the 9K111 Fagot to provide increased firepower for both man-portable units and armored vehicle platforms. While the system shares technological commonalities with the 9K111 and can utilize the same launchers, the 9M113 is distinguished by its larger size and a specific bulge on the missile's container tube. In 1991, a license for the system was acquired by Iran, which later began domestic production of a version designated as the Tosan.

The system utilizes Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) wire guidance. The launcher tracks an incandescent infrared bulb located on the rear of the missile to determine its position relative to the target, transmitting course corrections through a thin wire trailed during flight. The guidance system includes an alarm for detecting external jamming; if the automated tracking is compromised, the operator can revert to Manual Command to Line of Sight (MCLOS) control.

The missile is stored and fired from a fiberglass container. It is ejected from the tube by a gas generator before a solid-fuel rocket motor engages. This propulsion sequence provides a high initial exit velocity, allowing for direct-fire engagement of targets at short distances without requiring an upward launch arc. The standard 9M113 carries a single High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead designed to penetrate rolled homogeneous armor (RHA). The 9M113M Konkurs-M variant, adopted in 1991, utilizes a tandem-charge warhead with an extended explosive probe designed to defeat vehicles equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA).

The 9M113 is an integral armament component for several armored fighting vehicles, including the BMP-2, BMD-2, and BRDM-2. It is also deployed via man-portable ground launchers. The system is widely exported and forms the backbone of anti-tank capabilities for numerous militaries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In addition to Soviet and Russian production, the missile has been produced or assembled in countries such as Bulgaria, India, and Iran.

Combat employment of the 9M113 has been recorded in numerous regional conflicts, including the Syrian Civil War, the War in Iraq, and the Yemeni Civil War. It has seen use by both state and non-state actors, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthi forces. The system has also been deployed in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the War in Donbas, and the Russo-Ukrainian War.

🇦🇫 Afghanistan • 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates • 🇦🇲 Armenia • 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan • 🇧🇬 Bulgaria • 🇧🇾 Belarus • 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast • 🇨🇿 Czech Republic • 🇩🇪 Germany • 🇩🇿 Algeria • 🇪🇬 Egypt • 🇪🇷 Eritrea • 🇬🇪 Georgia • 🇬🇳 Guinea • 🇭🇷 Croatia • 🇭🇺 Hungary • 🇮🇳 India • 🇮🇷 Iran • 🇮🇶 Iraq • 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan • 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan • 🇱🇾 Libya • 🇲🇦 Morocco • 🇲🇩 Moldova • 🇲🇪 Montenegro • 🇵🇰 Pakistan • 🇵🇱 Poland • 🇰🇵 North Korea • 🇷🇴 Romania • 🇷🇺 Russia • 🇸🇰 Slovakia • 🇸🇾 Syria • 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan • 🇺🇦 Ukraine • 🇻🇳 Vietnam