VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW
Production of the Kolomna design bureau (KBM) Ataka (AT-12 Swinger) anti-armour missile system has been restarted on a newly-built assembly line at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant near Vladimir in central Russia.
Russia's defence ministry has provided funding because of the dwindling stockpile of the helicopter-launched missiles due to the campaign in Chechnya.
Production of the missile in Russia ceased in the early 1990s due to lack of funding in the defence budget. Kovrov's 2002 state equipment order is three times that for the previous year.
The Ataka is the main armament for the Mil Mi-28 Havoc and Mi-28N Night Hunter and the upgraded Mil Mi-24/35-series combat helicopters.
The system is a derivative of KBM's Shturm (AT-6 Spiral), but uses the 9M120 supersonic missile body, a derivative of the Shturm's 9M114, which entered service on the Mi-24 in 1976. The 9M114 can cover its maximum 6km (3.2nm) range in 14.5s.
The 9M120 is compatible with the Shturm launcher, with the major difference between the two being the warhead and seeker. Russia says weapons from the new production line can penetrate 1m (3ft)-thick armour compared with 0.8m for the original weapons and 0.6m for the 9M114. The weapon can also be equipped with thermobaric and rod warheads.
Source: Flight International
