Russia's Kornet missiles challenge modern Western tanks in Ukraine

In the area around Avdiivka, a Russian ATGM 9M133 Kornet team took out a Ukrainian M1A1SA Abrams tank. This approach by the Ukrainians, though minimizing machine losses, is highly risky. We have already observed such assaults executed even by old T-72 tanks, but newer machinery like Leopard 2 or Abrams provide much better chances of survival for the crew in case of an impact.

However, the Russians are capable of deploying significant resources when even a single modern Western-designed tank appears in the region, which is unfortunate for the Ukrainians. In the video below, you can see the 9M133 Kornet team firing two missiles at the Abrams, with at least one artillery shell also hitting close by.

Although put out of action, the M1A1SA Abrams served its purpose, as another image shows the hatches open, indicating that the crew likely survived and evacuated after the attack ceased. This contrasts with tankers in T-72, T-90, T-64, and T-80 models, where armor penetration often results in a dramatic ammunition magazine explosion.

Introduced into service in the late '90s, the ATGM 9M133 Kornet stands as Russia's most formidable anti-tank weapon for infantry. It can target at distances up to 5.5 or 8 kilometres, depending on the variant, and its warhead is capable of piercing through more than 91 centimetres of armored steel after overcoming a layer of reactive armor. It could potentially penetrate the front armor of an Abrams, but the sides, enhanced with elements of the TUSK package, are easily compromised.

Guidance, which employs a laser beam, presents challenges. While being an inexpensive and effective method, it comes with significant drawbacks. The first concern is the tank's potential to detect the laser beam if equipped with the right sensors. The second challenge is the need for the operator to guide the missile until it hits.

In both scenarios, the target has a window of opportunity to respond by firing at the launcher's position to take out the operator. It's notable that the missile travels at about 250 meters per second, meaning for a missile launched at an Abrams 4 kilometres away, which would take about 16 seconds to reach its target.

Nevertheless, the Russians have diminished the risk to Kornet operators by adopting a tactic from the Ukrainian Stugna-P system—a remote control console connected to the launcher by a cable of several dozen metres.