Belarus Tests Upgraded Konkurs with Laser Guidance and Remote Launch

The State Authority for Military Industry of the Republic of Belarus has successfully completed live-fire tests of an upgraded 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank guided missile.

The agency announced this on October 8.

During the modernization, specialists replaced the original electronic units with modern ones and installed a laser receiver in place of the missile’s wire-guidance coil.

The missile remained controllable throughout its flight over a range of at least 5 km.

In addition, the upgraded system allows the operator to launch missiles remotely.

According to the Belarusian agency, these modifications have increased the missile’s operational range and improved guidance accuracy.

Despite the demonstration, the upgraded missile’s technical specifications have not been disclosed.

Militarnyi previously reported that Belarus’s defense industry had unveiled an automated control and guidance system for the BM-21 Grad and BM-27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems.

Konkurs ATGM

The 9M113 Konkurs is a Soviet anti-tank guided missile developed to engage armored vehicles. It entered service with the Soviet Army in 1974.

The missile uses a semi-automatic guidance system. The operator keeps the sight on the target, while the control system tracks the missile’s flight and sends commands to correct its trajectory.

In the baseline version, commands are transmitted via a wire that unwinds during flight. This system does not rely on a radio link and requires the operator to track the target until impact.

The baseline 9M113 missile has a shaped-charge warhead and a range of up to 4 km when launched from a combat vehicle. The upgraded 9M113M Konkurs-M variant features a tandem shaped-charge warhead designed to engage armored vehicles equipped with reactive armor.