AT-2 Swatter - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The AT-2 Swatter is the NATO reporting name

NATO reporting name

NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...

for the 3M11 Fleyta (flute) MCLOS

MCLOS

MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...

radio command Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

Development

The missile was developed by the Nudelman OKB-16 design bureau. It was developed as a heavy ATGM at about the same time as the AT-1 Snapper

AT-1 Snapper

The 3M6 Shmel is the MCLOS wire-guided Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "3M6" is its GRAU designation. Its NATO reporting name is AT-1 Snapper.Too large to be manportable, it was typically deployed from specialised vehicles or helicopters...

for use on both ground launchers and helicopters. It addressed some of the problems of the AT-1

AT-1 Snapper

, it was much faster, and had slightly longer range. These improvements were achieved by sending commands via radio link instead of a trailing guidance wire - which allowed the missile to travel faster. However it did make it vulnerable to jamming. The missile system was shown to Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...

in September 1964, and accepted for service shortly afterward.

History

The AT-2 was the first Soviet ATGM to be deployed from helicopters. Small numbers where fitted to the Mi-4

Mil Mi-4

The Mil Mi-4 was a Soviet transport helicopter that served in both military and civilian roles.-Design and development:...

AV. The missile was deployed on the Mi-8

Mil Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....

Hip as well as the Mi-24, and Mi-25 `Hind' series of helicopters. It was also deployed on the BRDM-1

BRDM-1

The BRDM-1 was an amphibious armored scout car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union...

and BRDM-2

BRDM-2

The BRDM-2 is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08...

infantry fighting vehicles.

The original AT-2A (3M11 Falanga) missile was problematic - one Russian source describes the missile as "notable for its complexity and low reliability". Also the missile's range was felt to be inadequate. An improved version of the missile was developed: the AT-2B (9M17 Skorpion). Externally the missiles are very similar - however the AT-2B range is increased to 3.5 km. The standard production version was the 9M17M Skorpion-M It entered service in 1968.

The next development took was to integrate SACLOS

SACLOS

SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...

guidance - the result was the AT-2 Swatter-C or 9M17P Skorpion-P. It entered service in 1969. A product improved version the 9M17MP was developed, with an improved engine and signal lamp.

The missile has been used extensively in the following wars on the Mi-24 platform.

Angolan War of Independence
Angolan War of Independence
The Angolan War of Independence began as an uprising against forced cotton cultivation, and became a multi-faction struggle for control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola with three nationalist movements and a separatist movement...
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
1980s Iran–Iraq War
1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...

It has been replaced in Soviet service by the AT-6 Spiral ATGM.

General characteristics (AT-2 Swatter A)

Length: 1160 mm
Wingspan:
Diameter: 148 mm
Launch weight: 27.0 kg
Speed: 150–170 m/s
Range: 500 m - 2.5 km
Time to maximum range: 17 seconds
Guidance: Radio command MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
Warhead: 5.4 kg HEAT
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...

500 mm vs RHA
Rolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour is a type of steel which is used to armour vehicles.-Composition:Armoured steel must be hard yet impervious to shock in order to resist high velocity metal projectiles. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size and...

Models

AT-2A Swatter A MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
- 3M11 / 9M11
AT-2B Swatter B Range increased to 3.5 km.
- 9M17
- 9M17DB Modified system to work with the Mi-8
  Mil Mi-8
  The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
  
  TB (Hip-E).
- 9M17M Skorpion-M MCLOS
  MCLOS
  MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
  
  9K8 (Falanga-M). Launch weight 29 kg, Maximum range 3500 m. First seen in the 1973 Moscow Parade.
AT-2C Swatter C SACLOS
SACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...

Falanga-PV (Fleyta) 9K8. Launch weight 29 kg.
- 9M17P First SACLOS
  SACLOS
  SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
  
  version.
- 9M17MP Improved engine and guidance lamp. Maximum range 4000 m.
- 9M17N