MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. A Russian Vikhr air-launched missile with its tandem-charge warhead is capable of wiping out any Western tank supplied to the Kiev regime, armor expert, Candidate of Military Sciences, retired Colonel Sergey Suvorov told TASS on Wednesday.
"It [the Vikhr missile] can, in principle, destroy any tanks that Western countries are now supplying to Ukraine. This is a supersonic missile with a tandem-charge warhead, which is very powerful, like any Kornet, Fagot and Konkurs-M [Russian anti-tank missile systems]. The 9M113M missile used in these systems also has a tandem-charge warhead and copes with its mission well," the expert said.
The missile’s tandem-charge warhead is designed to neutralize reactive armor, if it is present, he explained. "The pre-charge initiates the reactive armor’s reaction and then the main charge strikes the target’s basic protection," Suvorov specified.
"it was reported that a small amount of Leopard 2A6 tanks would be supplied while the rest would be about 200 Leopard 1 armored vehicles with their protection even weaker compared to the Soviet T-55 tank, at about the level of the T-34," the expert said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on June 6 that Russian troops had destroyed 28 Ukrainian tanks in the southern Donetsk area, including eight German-made Leopard tanks. The ministry then uploaded a video showing Russian troops destroying the Ukrainian armor, including German Leopard tanks. In experts’ estimates, the video footage shows that the Vikhr air-launched missile system was employed to cripple the enemy armor.
Russia’s state tech corporation Rostec told TASS in February that German Leopard 2 tanks "feature good protection but can be effectively destroyed by Kornet anti-tank missile launchers, Vikhr and Ataka air-launched missiles and 125mm Mango shells.
Vikhr missile and German tanks
The Vikhr air-launched missile is designed to strike ground maneuverable armored targets furnished with reactive armor and also medium-speed aerial targets (helicopters, attack aircraft and drones). The missile was engineered by the Kalashnikov firearms manufacturer for the Ka-52 Alligator assault helicopter. According to the design firm’s data, the missile can accelerate to 610 m/s and engage targets at a distance of 800 meters to 8,000 meters. The Vikhr is capable of piercing 750mm homogenous armor plates behind reactive armor.
In the spring of 2021, the Kalashnikov Group completed the flight tests of the improved Vikhr-1 missile. It was reported that a Ka-52 helicopter fired 22 missiles during the tests at a proving ground of the Russian Defense Ministry. The upgrade boosted the missile’s short-range strike capacity and increased its flight stability.
The missile is currently part of the ammunition load of the Ka-52 assault helicopter. TASS also reported that upgraded Vikhr-1 missiles would make part of the weapons suite of another strike helicopter, the Mi-28N. In experts’ estimates, the Vikhr is among the world’s most efficient anti-tank weapons.
The Leopard 2 is among the most modern battle tanks on the world arms market but sets high requirements for its maintenance. On January 25, 2023 Germany confirmed that it would send Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 tanks and issue permission for their re-export by other countries. On February 7, the German government approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine. On February 24, Berlin made a decision to deliver another four tanks to Ukraine from its military inventories.