AT-13 (Saxhorn-2) / 9K115-2 (Metis-M)

History

The AT-13 "Saxhorn-2" is a man-portable anti-tank missile system of Russian origin, a modernized form of the original AT-7 "Saxhorn". The main difference between the two systems is the AT-13's new missile, which has a larger size, greater range and modern internal technology. Manufactured by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau, it entered service with the Russian Army in 1992, fighting alongside mechanized armored units. KBP has a long history.

Founded in Tula in 1927, the company manufactures a variety of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and infantry weapon systems for the Soviet and Russian military. Several Soviet/Russian-aligned nations have also begun procuring relatively new weapons systems to help modernize their anti-tank forces, including Croatia, South Korea, Iran, and Syria.

The Saxhorn-2 is capable of on-site point defense against all types of armored vehicles, as it is designed to be highly portable, keeping simplicity and purpose in mind.

The Saxhorn-2 system consists of three main components, namely the 9M131F missile, the 9P151 launch tube and the 1PBN86-VI thermal imaging sight. The standard operator consisted of three people, which aided in the launch and transport of the entire Saxhorn-2 system. The Saxhorn-2 takes about 15 seconds to set up for a trained fire brigade (the launch tube holds the missile ready to fire), but the missile can only be fired from a standing or prone position. In fact, since the launcher is reusable, the fire team can fire a semi-constant rate of fire of about three missiles per minute. At least five missiles were assigned to each Saxhorn-2 fire team for easy launcher reloading.

Since one missile was already in the launch tube with the primary operator, the other four reloads were split between the remaining two crew members in pairs, which were carried in addition to their personal weapons. The Saxhorn 2 system measures 980mm and has a diameter of 130mm.

The weight is approximately 13.8 kg. Like other anti-tank missile systems in this class, the Saxhorn-2 can be mounted on various types of vehicles for launch and, if required, provides a mobile anti-tank weapons platform.

The 9M131F missile has a solid rocket booster motor and has a range of between 0.08 and 1.5 km (0.049 and 0.93 mi) - such weapons usually have a minimum range for crew safety. The peak velocity in the post-launch phase is approximately 656 feet per second (200 meters per second). The missile is guided to the target through a wire-guided link that receives commands and course corrections to ensure relative point accuracy. The base rocket carries a HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead, designed to penetrate armor.

When so equipped, the Saxhorn-2 Fireteam can also fire thermobaric missiles at people or structures. Thermobaric weapons augment traditional shockwaves for greater destructive impact by using nearby available oxygen, such as fuel-air bombs.

The Israeli Army Merkava main battle tank reportedly encountered the Saxhorn-2 while fighting Hezbollah forces in the 2006 Lebanon War. While Russia has refused to sell its missile systems to the group, they are believed to have been procured through Syrian connections, which are Syria's own anti-tank systems procured from Russia.

Russia officially designated Saxhorn-2 as 9K115-2 "Metis-M". AT-13 "Saxhorn-2" is the NATO reporting designation.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

VARIANTS