The KBP Instrument Design Bureau started the development of the Kornet in 1988 as a modular, universal system able to engage any target from a mix of platforms using a reliable laser beam guidance system that was simple to use. It is a heavy anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), superior to the earlier 9K111 Fagot and 9K113 Konkurs wire-guided ATGMs, but not to replace them (due to the cost). The missile was unveiled in October 1994 and entered service in the Russian Ground Forces in 1998. The Kornet was exported to numerous countries as its export designation Kornet-E.
The 9M133 missile together with its 9P163-1 tripod launcher and 1PN79-1 thermal sight, forms the 9K135 missile system, which can be carried and operated by a two-person infantry crew. The transfer to the firing position takes less than one minute, and preparation and production of a shot in at least one second.
One vehicle is equipped with Kornet, the Simir Kornet variant.
Gameplay[ | ]
The 9M133 Kornet is a tripod-mounted laser-guided anti-tank guided-missile system.
The 9M133 Kornet generates a back blast that can injure or kill anybody standing nearby behind the weapon when it's being fired.
Minimum arming range for the 9M133 Kornet is 35 meters.
If you are too close to your target, the rocket will not detonate or deal any damage.
Only one 9M133 Kornet can be placed per FOB as emplacements.
This is one less compared to the SPG-9 of unconventional armies.
The 9M133 Kornet is fitted with an optical tracking device. However, it doesn't have a laser rangefinder like that on BGM-71 and HJ-8. Instead, the optic includes stadiametric rangefinder marks.
The operator can press the Q button to change the zoom level. The 9M133 Kornet has three stages of zoom levels. However, Kornet's sight zoom is significantly weaker than that of TOW. This makes it more difficult to engage targets at longer ranges.
Once the operator has acquired a target, there is a very short delay between pressing the trigger and when the missile is fired. Once the missile has been fired, the operator must keep the reticle on the target to guide it.
The emplaced 9M133 Kornet comes with a semi-high-profile tripod, which could be protected behind two layers of sandbags.
The high-profile tripod allows a 360° traverse. But beware, the tripod height leaves the operator exposed to enemy fire. One advantage of the 9M133 system over the BGM-71 TOW and HJ-8 is the ability for the gunner to be behind cover and still have the ability to fire, making it a little more operator-friendly. The trigger and sight are both below the missile as opposed to alongside it.
The vehicle-mounted 9M133 Kornet variant can fire six missiles before needing to rearm. The 9M133 is mounted on the back of Simir without any protection, and thus the gunner is fully exposed to enemy fire.
The maximum effective range for the 9M133 Kornet is 1950 meters, slightly longer than other missile emplacements; beyond this range, the missile will stop guidance and drop to the ground.
When shooting at targets beyond the rocket-engine range, the operator can aim quite a bit above the target so the Kornet will go ballistic after the engine burnout and still hit the target.
Firing multiple missiles in a quick session, making them airborne simultaneously, will cause the previous few missiles to lose track and fly aimlessly.
The 9M133 Kornet missile is a very powerful anti-vehicle weapon, extremely effective against stationary or slow-moving vehicles. It will deal critical damage to most vehicles, regardless of where you hit it. The player can effectively steer the missile while in flight onto the target.
Hitting the weakest part of the armor is still advised to ensure maximum damage. At some angles, your guided missile may fail to penetrate heavy vehicles frontally, such as main battle tanks.
The 9M133 Kornet missile can also be used to target enemy fortifications like bunkers and HESCOs. However, due to the limited supply and high ammo cost of rearming, it is recommended that the 9M133 only be used to target high-value vehicles.
It is highly inefficient at engaging infantry due to low splash damage and blast radius. Do not waste ammo on infantry.
Armour calculation involves many factors that are not limited to simple base damage and penetration. The slope of the armor, its thickness, the angle of hit, all of that matter when the game engine decides if damage has been dealt to the target. Examine the vehicle armor models on Jensen's Range to learn where your shots will do damage.
Prioritizing areas such as flat armor angles, turret, tracks, engine compartments, ammo racks, and rear areas where you could disable enemy mobility and effectively penetrate through armor and deal damage.
Hitting moving targets such as helicopters is difficult but not impossible. Remember that whilst you can move the reticle very quickly, the missile requires time to "catch-up" with whatever you are aiming at. Many shots at moving vehicles are missed as a result of the operator not accounting for the fact that the missile itself is already out and moving. Make sure to lead your targets.
The 9M133 Kornet largely shares its damage models with other missile emplacements, such as BGM-71 TOW and HJ-8. They all have 1800 base damage, 153 splash damage, and 900 mm penetration.
They all have marginal differences in range, optic types, trigger delay, muzzle velocity, and missile acceleration speed. But these gameplay differences are barely noticeable in combat.
The 9M133 Kornet has a significantly shorter post-penetration distance of 1.5 meters compared to the 10 meters of BGM-71 TOW and HJ-8, meaning it's harder for Kornet to ignite the vehicle ammo rack after penetration. The observed impact of this gameplay detail is rather inconsequential.
The 9M133 Kornet has a long reload time. It has a slightly faster reload time than its American counterpart BGM-71 TOW, but twice as slow as the Chinese HJ-8 due to the latter having a missile tube auto-ejection function.
If you have multiple targets in sight, disable their gun or tracks first to ensure they don't get a chance to reposition or leave the scene during the long reload process.
On some layers the Kornet is unavailable (to the RGF on Skorpo Invasion v3 for example) while the opposing team does have the Anti Tank deployment available.
