Russia develops remote control kit for ATGMs

The Russian Kalashnikov Company has developed a remote control kit based on the Ukrainian Stugna for the Soviet Konkurs ATGM.

Alan Lushnikov, the company’s CEO, discussed the kit’s development.

Based on combat experience, the company has developed a remote control kit that allows it to simultaneously control several missile systems from a distance from the launchers. The company has already obtained the permits for its production.

“We developed the remote control based on the experience of combat use of ATGMs to maximize the protection of the system’s personnel from enemy fire. This equipment enables the military to search for and engage enemy targets from cover at a sufficient distance from the launcher,” Lushnikov stated.

The corresponding set of equipment allows the operator to take turns controlling the three launchers of the Konkurs missile system during daylight hours. The latter may indicate the absence of standard night or thermal imaging sights in the development.

According to the developers, the kit can be installed on non-adapted Soviet Konkurs ATGMs. The total time for mounting the attachment on the launchers does not exceed 20 minutes.

They emphasized that the operator’s distance can reach 100 meters by connecting four cables. However, no photos of the launchers with this kit were shown, so the operator’s console’s appearance is unknown.

It is also unclear why the Russian company developed the kit for outdated Soviet systems while ignoring the modern Russian Kornet ATGM, which has similar problems.

Improvised Russian defense industry

Russian technicians have long experimented with outdated Soviet ATGMs. This phenomenon is widespread due to the Russian army’s lack of third-generation analogs and the shortcomings of modern Russian systems such as Kornet.

One of the main features of Soviet and Russian anti-tank systems is the need for manual guidance of the missile throughout the flight, which puts the system operator at risk in the line of fire. To solve this problem, the Russians are practicing the artisanal installation of remote control kits.

The video shows a Kornet system that has been upgraded in this way and has received a remote control on a wire, as well as a thermal imaging scope that displays the image on the remote control monitor.

Last year, the Ukrainian design bureau LUCH presented an improved version of the Stugna remote-controlled system with a new launcher and control panel developed based on the experience of the Russo-Ukrainian war.