AT-13 (Saxhorn-2) / 9K115-2 (Metis-M)

Wire-Guided Anti-Tank Missile System [ 1992 ]

The AT-13 Saxhorn-2 was reportedly used to good effect by Hezbollah forces against the mighty Israeli Merkava main battle tanks in the 2006 Lebanon War.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/10/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The AT-13 "Saxhorn-2" is a man-portable anti-tank missile system of Russian origin and is a modernized form of the original AT-7 "Saxhorn". The major difference between the two systems is the AT-13s newer missile which sports larger dimensions, an increased operational range and modern internal technology. It is produced by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau and entered service with the Russian Army in 1992 to serve alongside mechanized armored units. KBP has a long-standing history after their founding in 1927 in Tula and the firm has gone on to produce a variety of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-infantryweapon systems for the Soviet/Russian military. Several Soviet/Russian-allied nations have also moved on procuring the relatively new weapon system to help modernize anti-tank forces and include Croatia, South Korea, Iran and Syria. The Saxhorn-2 allows for on-the-spot, point-defense against all types of armored vehicles as she is made to be highly portable with thought given to ease and expediency of use.

The Saxhorn-2 system is made up of three major components consisting of the 9M131F missile, the 9P151 launch tube and a 1PBN86-VI thermal imaging sight. The standard operating crew is three personnel which facilitates both the firing action and transport of the Saxhorn-2 system as a whole. Setup of the Saxhorn-2 is roughly 15 seconds for a trained fire team (the launch tube is transported with a ready-to-fire missile in place) however the missile can only be fired from a standing or prone position. Since the launcher is reusable, the fire team can actually supply a semi-consistent rate-of-fire of about three missiles per minute. At least five missiles are assigned each Saxhorn-2 fire team to facilitate reloading of the launcher. Since one missile is already in the launch tube with the main operator, the other four reloads are split as pairs between the two remaining personnel and these are carried in addition to their personal weapons. The Saxhorn-2 system measures in at 980mm with a 130mm diameter. Weight is roughly 13.8 kilograms. Like other anti-tank missile systems of this class, the Saxhorn-2 can also be fixed to fire from vehicles of various types, making for a mobile anti-tank weapons platform when required.

The 9M131F missile features a solid-fuel rocket booster engine that supplies an operational range between 0.08 and 1.5 kilometers (0.049 to 0.93 miles) - for the crews safety, weapons such as this generally have a minimum operating range. Speed at the height of its post-launch phase is approximately 656 feet per second (200 meters per second). The missile is guided to the target via a wire link (wire-guided) that receives commands and course corrections to provide for relative pin-point accuracy. The base missile is capped with a HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead designed to penetrate armor facings. If equipped as such, the Saxhorn-2 fire team can also launch a thermobaric-based warhead missile against personnel or structures. Thermobaric weapons expand the traditional blast wave for greater detrimental effects using available nearby oxygen (as in a fuel-air bomb).

Israeli Army Merkava main battle tanks reportedly encountered Saxhorn-2s when combating Hezbollah forces in the 2006 Lebanon War. While Russia denied the sale of its missile systems to the group, it is believed these were obtained via Syrian connections which itself procured the anti-tank system from Russia.

Russia formally designates the Saxhorn-2 as the 9K115-2 "Metis-M". AT-13 "Saxhorn-2" is the NATO reporting name.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Basics [+]

Manufacturer(s)

KBP Instrument Design Bureau - Russia

Operators

Bangladesh; Croatia; Czech Republic; Egypt; Georgia; Hezbollah; Hungary; Indonesia; Iran; Malaysia; Morocco; Ukraine; Russia; South Korea; Syria

Service Year

1992

National Origin

Russia

ANTI-ARMOR / ANTI-TANK / ANTI-MATERIAL
Designed to engage and defeat armor / enemy tanks at range.

Overall Length

980 mm / 38.58 in

Weight (Empty)

30.42 lb / 13.80 kg

Action

Wire-Guided; Contact Detonation; Semi-Automatic Guidance

SEMI-AUTOMATIC
One shot per trigger pull; self-loading or auto-loading action aided by internal mechanism; trigger management (and initial cocking) typically required by the operator; subsequent shots are aided by the unlocked / moving bolt.

Caliber(s)*

130mm
*May not represent an exhuastive list; Calibers may be model-specific dependent; Always consult official manufacturer sources.

Feed

Single-Shot

Sights

Integrated Optics.

Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information.

Max.Effective Range

4,920 ft / 1,499.6 m | 1,640.0 yds

Rate-of-Fire

1 rpm

AT-13 (Saxhorn-2) / 9K115-2 - Base Series Designation.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon representing special forces

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Images

1 / 1

Image of the AT-13 (Saxhorn-2) / 9K115-2 (Metis-M)

Left side profile illustration view of the AT-13 Saxhorn-2 anti-tank missile launcher; color

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)