9К115-2 METIS-M

(Redirected from AT-13)

The '9К115-2' ''Metis-M'' is a Russian anti-tank missile system. "9K115-2" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is 'AT-13' ''Saxhorn-2''.
The system is designed to augment the combat power of company-level
motorized units.

Contents

Overview

Guidance

Combat history

Notes

References

External links

Overview

The Metis-M system adds to the usual positive qualities of a grenade launcher with sharp improvements in range, accuracy and lethality. Owing to
small dimensions and light weight of its components, this manportable system can
be carried by its crew in compact packs over any distances on any terrain,
including stream crossing. The three-man crew carries personal
weapons and an ammunition load of five missiles.
One crew member carries a pack with a missile-loaded launcher, which
considerably reduces the time of fire preparation and allows the crew to
engage targets on the move. In the event of sudden appearance of a target,
the operator can fire from the shoulder with the launcher rested
against a local object. Two other crew members carry packs with two
missiles each.
The system is simple and easy to
operate:

★ it can be rapidly changed over from the traveling to the firing position and vice versa within 15 - 20 seconds;

★ it has a firing rate of 3 - 4 rounds per minute;

★ it can be fired from organized and deployed sites in the prone and standing foxhole positions as well as from various combat vehicles;

★ it can be shipped by any type of transport and can be air-dropped.
The Metis-M system comprises:

★ combat assets;

★ maintenance facilities;

★ training aids.
The combat assets of the Metis-M system include:

★ 9M131 (9M131F) ATGM;

★ 9P151 launcher;

★ 1PBN86-VI thermal sight.

Guidance

The Metis-M ATGM system has a semiautomatic guidance system, with commands transmitted over the wire link. The guidance system is constructed so that the most sophisticated and costly components, such as a gyroscopic coordinator, electronic units and an onboard battery, are excluded from the missile.
The ATGM is kept in a launching transporting container and consists
of a control section, a flight motor, a warhead, a wing section with a flare,
and a launch motor with a wire link reel.
The powerful tandem HEAT warhead of the 9M131 missile allows defeat of a wide array of targets, including main battle tanks equipped with add-on and built-in explosive reactive armor, lightly armored vehicles, fortifications and fieldworks (bunker and log emplacements, etc.). To expand the possibilities of system combat employment, the 9M131F ATGMs are fitted with a
thermobaric warhead which has a high-explosive and an incendiary
effect of a large caliber artillery projectile and is especially efficient in
firing at urban buildings and structures and other engineer constructions.
The 9P151 launcher consists of an optical sight-tracker, an electronic
unit and a tripod mount with elevating and traversing drives. The precision
mechanical drives of the 9P151 launcher simplify the process of laying
during combat actions and lower the requirements to the operator's
qualification.
The employment of the system at night and in adverse weather conditions
is ensured by the 1PN86-VI thermal sight installed on the 9P151 launcher.
The system's ATGMs do not require maintenance during their operation
and storage. To maintain the 9P151 launcher and the 1PN86-1 thermal sight, use is made of test equipment. The 9F640 field trainer is designed
to train crews in basic technique of combat actions in the field.
The 9F660-4 trainer is designed to train crews in basic technique of
combat actions in a classroom.

Combat history

According to many accounts by Israeli military, weapons seized from Hezbollah and journalists accounts from Lebanon the Metis-M was used successfully by Hezbollah fighters during the 2006 Lebanon war against Merkava tanks.
Russia released a press statement disputing that it had been supplying modern anti-tank weapons to Hezbollah even though the original claim by the Israelis was that Russian weapons which were sold to Syria which in turn smuggled the weapons to Hezbollah.^[1] Israel has sent a team of officials to Moscow to show the Russians the evidence of what they say can only be Syrian weapons transfers.^[2] To date, Russia has not commented or acted on the weapon proliferation.

Notes

1. Russia denies sending anti-tank weapons to Hizbollah - ministry - rian.ru
2. Tough lessons for Israeli armour - BBC

References

★ ''Russia's Arms Catalog 2004''

External links

★ Description of system with photos

★ METIS-M /M1 at Defense Update