The lightweight launcher enables the Dehlaviyeh to be used by dismounted units. Photo: Iran MOD
On
his visit to the new production line of guided missiles, Iranian
Defense Minister Ahmed Vahidi introduced a new missile called
‘Dehlaviyeh’ thought to be an Iranian ‘copycat’ of the Russian KBM 9M133
Kornet missile. Vahidi said the missile is of the most advanced
anti-armor and anti-material weapons, capable of destroying stationary
or moving main battle tanks equipped with reactive armor. The missile is
equally effective against non-armored targets, such as bunkers or
buildings, as well as low-flying and naval targets, Vahidi said. He
added the missile’s guidance employs an advanced guidance system that
makes it immune to current electronic countermeasures.
Although
Iran had not directly procured the 9M133, it had access to the missiles
obtained by Hezbollah from Syria. In 2010 intelligence reports indicated
that such missiles leaked to the Gaza strip. Soon after Kornets were
used at least twice, targeting an Israeli Merkava tank and a civilian
bus. Back then Israel claimed Iran was the source of the missiles.
Apparently, the Iranians have either obtained shipments from KBP or
reversed engineered the missile.
The
Dehlaviyeh missile is believed to be a reversed engineered version of
the Russian Kornet-E laser beam-riding anti-tank guided missile. Photo:
Iran MOD
Iran has already demonstrated the capability to
locally produce anti-tank missiles, reverse engineering the wire-guided
American TOW-2 missile and the Russian 9M113 Konkurs (both were exported
to the Hezbollah in Lebanon and used against the Israelis in 2006).
This Kornet copy represents the first use of laser beam-riding
Semi-Active Command-Line Of Sight (SACLOS) technology. The beam-riding
concept employs a low-power laser beam transmitted by the launcher, to
communicates with the missile, replacing the need of wireless or wires
for guidance. The missile’s sensor ‘looks backwards’ to lock on the beam
center, thus unaffected by countermeasures employed by the target. As a
seekerless missile, the Kornet is considered a low-cost round.
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