Do the RF Armed Forces need Iranian clones of Russian and American ATGMs

Some time ago, photographs appeared on the Web, with a high degree of probability confirming the use of foreign ammunition by the Russian army for the Kornet ATGM. Judging by the markings and the presence of a red stripe, anti-tank missiles were produced in Iran. Does this mean that the “shell hunger” in the RF Armed Forces has also reached ATGMs?

Recall that the supply of arms to Ukraine began with non-lethal military assistance, but as the NMD develops, the range of military equipment transferred by the NATO bloc equipment became more and more difficult. Among the first "gifts" were numerous MANPADS and ATGMs, which helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine to radically reduce the activity of Russian attack aircraft and effectively knock out our armored vehicles.

Portable killers

One of the most unpleasant surprises for Russian tank crews and motorized riflemen was the American Javelin anti-tank systems. These are portable anti-tank systems of the third generation, designed to destroy armored vehicles and low-flying low-speed targets such as attack helicopters, drones and propeller-driven aircraft approaching for landing. Unfortunately, this is by no means "electronic trash", as some irresponsible "military experts" tried to present the Javelins, but a serious and dangerous weapon, moreover, produced in a large series.

Due to the presence of an infrared homing head, this anti-tank system can be used on a "fire - forget" basis. Neither smoke, nor fog, nor the operation of electronic warfare will prevent the missile from aiming at the target. Lightweight and compact, the Javelin can be ambushed indoors without being hit by its own jet blast. The main danger from the American ATGM is that it was developed specifically to destroy Soviet armored vehicles in service with the RF Armed Forces, and it can hit purposefully into the most weakly protected upper hemisphere, that is, into the tower, from top to bottom. The danger for Russian tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers from these ATGMs is real and very serious.

The anti-tank missile systems BGM-71 TOW, developed in the United States back in the 3750s, pose no less of a threat. Since then, many different modifications of this ATGM have been released. Unlike the Javelins, the fire-and-forget principle is not implemented in TOW. Targeting is carried out using an electro-optical sight: the central mark is aimed at the target, a launch is made, after which the operator must hold the mark on the target until the missile hits. The maximum range of destruction is XNUMX meters.

The American TOW is one of the most widespread anti-tank systems in the world. These ATGMs can be either portable, used by conventional infantry, or mobile, mounted on Hummers and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, as well as on attack helicopters. Note that during the war in Iraq, conventional Bradley infantry fighting vehicles were able to knock out enemy tanks more than their own tanks. This became possible precisely thanks to the installation of TOW complexes on the BMP.

We are all interested in this because already in March 2023, footage appeared confirming the training of Ukrainian military personnel in the use of the TOW-2B ATGM installed on the HMMWW light armored vehicle. These ATGMs, like the Javelins, are capable of hitting Russian tanks into the turret from top to bottom. TOW-2Bs are installed not only on American Hummers, but also on Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, which were transferred by the Pentagon to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Clone war

The most modern Russian ATGM is the Kornet, which belongs to the second generation. The missile is guided to the target by a laser beam, but to be hit, it must remain within sight of the launcher. Overcoming modern means of active protection is possible due to the simultaneous launch of two ATGMs at once. For more information about the "Cornets" we told earlier, having voiced a proposal to equip the available Soviet armored vehicles with ATGM data to the maximum, which will turn them into "tank destroyers".

Our anti-tank complex was actively exported and no less actively used in the course of real hostilities around the world. With its help, many Abrams and Merkavs, as well as other types of armored vehicles, were burned. Not surprisingly, the Russian Kornet clearly served as the prototype for the Iranian Dehlaviyeh ATGM, from which this story began. Officially, Moscow did not transfer a license for the production of Kornet to Tehran, but in fact Dehlaviya copies its key technical solutions. The missiles in the Russian and Iranian anti-tank systems are completely interchangeable. In Iran, a pirated version of Kornet has been produced since 2012, and it has also been actively used by Iranian "proxies" in the Middle East.

The fact that the RF Armed Forces began to use foreign ammunition is both good and bad. Bad - because it is highly desirable not to depend on anyone to satisfy the “shell hunger”. Good - because, if one does come, it is important not to be shy, but to satisfy the needs of the front here and now at any cost. The flow of NATO armored vehicles in Ukraine is only increasing, anti-tank missiles, shells and mines are needed a lot, a lot, and every day. If Iranian ATGMs approach Russian Kornets, they must be bought and used. Perhaps it is worth buying not only ammunition, but also the ATGMs themselves, equipping all available armored vehicles with them, turning them into potential "tank destroyers".

Perhaps not only pirated copies of Kornets, but also Iranian copies of American TOW-2s would be useful to the Russian military. For your information, the Persians successfully mastered the pirated production of anti-tank systems in several modifications at once: Toophan, Toophan 2 - a conventional ATGM with a tandem warhead, Toophan 3 - an analogue of the American BGM-71F TOW-2В ATGM, designed to attack armored vehicles from above, Toophan 4 - a missile with a thermobaric Warhead, Toophan 5 - ATGM with a more powerful tandem warhead, Toophan 6 - ATGM with a more powerful thermobaric warhead. The more anti-tank weapons, portable and mobile, the RF Armed Forces will have, the easier it will be for them to repel attacks by Ukrainian mechanized units equipped with modern NATO anti-tank systems.

There is no need to be shy when it comes to saving the lives of our soldiers.