The 9K111 Fagot ("bassoon") is a second-generation tube-launched semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union for use from ground or vehicle mounts. The 9K111 Fagot missile system was developed by the Tula KBP Design Bureau for Instrument Building. 9M111 is the designation for the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-4 Spigot.

Development

The 9K111 Fagot was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP) and development began in 1962 with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) for use in two roles: as man portable and tank destroyer. The 9K111 Fagot was developed alongside the 9M113 Konkurs; both missiles use similar technology, differing in size only, and can use the same launchers. The missile entered service in 1970.

History

The anti-tank platoon of a Soviet BTR equipped motor rifle battalion had two (sometimes three) ATGM squads, each with two 9K111 Fagot teams. The team consisted of three men; the gunner carries the 9P135 launcher and tripod as a back pack, and the other two men each carry two launch tubes. The men also carry assault rifles, but do not carry a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), because unlike the earlier missiles there is only a small deadzone within which the missile cannot engage the target. Besides the four missiles carried by each team, each squad would normally have an extra eight missiles carried in their transport, usually a BTR. It can also be deployed from the BMP-1P, BMD-1P, BTR-D and UAZ-469. North Korea was said to have acquired a number of the systems during the late 1980s until the 2000s. These were subsequently reverse-engineered under the designation Bulsae-2. It was advertised under designation AT-4MLB by North Korean proxy company GLOCOM, in brochure it was stated that it is controlled by laser beam guidance method, which was an upgrade designated Bulsae-3. Its use was first reported in 2014 in the ranks of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades.

Description

The missile is stored and carried in a container/launch tube. It is fired from a 9P135 launcher post, a simple tripod. A 9S451 guidance box is fitted to the tripod with the missile sitting just above. The 9Sh119 sight is fitted to the left side (from the gunner's point of view). The complete launcher system weighs 22.5 kg. The gunner lies prone while firing. The system can engage moving targets travelling at less than 60 km/h. The launcher post can traverse through 360 degrees horizontally, and ±20 degrees in elevation. The sight has a magnification of 10× and a 5 degree field of view. Up to three missiles a minute can be fired from a launcher post. The system uses a gas generator to push the missile out of the launch tube, with the gas exiting the rear of the launch tube in a manner similar to a recoilless rifle. The missile leaves the launch tube at 80 m/s, and is then quickly accelerated to 186 m/s by its solid fuel motor. This initial high speed reduces the missile's deadzone, since it can be launched directly at the target, rather than in an upward arc. The launcher tracks the position of an incandescent infrared bulb on the back of the missile relative to the target and transmits appropriate commands to the missile via a thin wire that trails behind the missile. The SACLOS guidance system has many benefits over manual command to line of sight (MCLOS), with the accuracy of the system stated as 90% in some sources, though its performance is probably comparable to the TOW or the later SACLOS versions of the 9M14 Malyutka.

Models

Missile

Launcher

Operators

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Current operators

Former operators

Non-state actors

Sources