9K114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral) Russian Anti-Tank Missile Carrier

The 9K114 Shturm is a late Cold War-era anti-tank missile system of Soviet origin. It was developed in the early 1970s and is employed since 1976. The system is called 9K114 Shturm and its missile is known as the 9M114 Kokon. In the West, the NATO reporting name AT-6 Spiral is often used. The 9M114 was designed to provide attack helicopters with a more capable anti-tank missile than the Falanga (NATO: AT-2). Besides helicopters, it is also used on vehicles and ships. For its time the 9M114 was a rather advanced missile. It has a long sleek cylindrical body with wrap-around fins at the rear. The warhead is located at the front, followed by the guidance section with small control vanes and the solid fuel sustainer and small booster stage at the rear. The missile is stored and launched from a plastic container. The guidance is SACLOS and a VHF radio command link is used. Besides the missile, the 9K114 system consists of a daylight-only sighting system with a laser range finder and radio link. The 9M114 has a better performance than the older Falanga (AT-2) and Malyutka (AT-3) in range, penetration, and accuracy. During Western tests, accuracy proved poor while Russian sources claim 75 to 85 percent effectiveness in the Afghan war. The original 9M114 missiles penetrate about 560mm RHA and have a maximum range of 5 km. The 9M114M2 extends this range to 7 km and penetrates 600 to 650 mm RHA. A thermobaric version is available.