Army Updates Soviet Era Konkurs-M missiles with Sarisa Thermal Imagers

Amid heavy defence spending with thrust on indigenisation, the Indian Army has recently updated its 9K111M Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) with Tonbo Imaging's Sarisa cooled, longwave Infrared (LWIR) thermal imagers.

The Army had signed a contract worth Rs 3,131.82 crore with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on 3rd February last year to manufacture and supply Konkurs-M ATGMs. The missile can be launched either from the Army's BMP-2 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle or from ground launcher.

Konkurs-M is being manufactured by BDL under a licence agreement with a Russian original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The missile has been indigenised upto maximum extent. BDL is also offering the missiles for export to friendly countries. The company said it lays a lot of thrust on indigenisation of its products manufactured under transfer of technology with foreign OEMs.

Sarisa comes with mounting brackets for installation in front of the optical channel of the Konkurs-M ATGM launcher. It is a thermal imaging camera that detects, recognises and identifies dangers at vast distances during the day, night and in poor weather conditions. Before launching the missile, it can lock onto a stationary or moving target.

The missile is deployed as a clip-on with built-in collimated optics, allowing the user to engage with the targets using the same sight channel of direct-view optics as the Konkurs launcher. The thermal imager is designed in accordance with MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461F standards, according to a report published in Militaryleak.com.

The 9M113 Konkurs is a SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile developed by the erstwhile Soviet Union. This missile can use the same launchers and looks remarkably similar, with just a tiny bulge towards the end of the Konkurs' missile tube distinguishing it. The missile is intended to be launched from tracked/wheeled vehicles, but it may also be launched from later types of 9M111 launchers.

The launcher tracks the position of an incandescent infrared bulb on the back of the missile relative to the target and transmits appropriate commands to the missile via a thin wire that trails behind the missile. The operator can then take manual control, reducing the missile to MCLOS. The SACLOS guidance system has many benefits over MCLOS.

The Konkurs-M system was developed by then TsKB-14 (now KBP Instrument Design Bureau) situated in Tula, Russia. A development of the 9M113 Konkurs with greater firepower, 9M113M Konkurs-M Tandem warhead -- with extended explosive probe.

The Konkurs-M ATGM system is designed to engage modern tanks fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA), light armored vehicles, fortifications and engineer structures at ranges of 75 to 4,000 metre, day or night. The 9K111-1M Konkurs-M was developed to counter ERA-protected targets.

The 9M113M Konkurs-M system consists of The 9P135M1 ground launch system (GLS) and the 9M113M missile. Owing to its launcher design, the system can be installed on a variety of wheeled and tracked platforms, as per the report.