Last updated on February 17th, 2019 at 09:48 pm
The AT-5 Spandrel anti-tank guided missile is a SACLOS-guided tube-launched anti-tank missile. It was developed at the same time as the AT-4 Spigot and entered service in the Soviet Union in 1974.
NATO was not aware of the AT-5 Spandrel’s existence until the missile was displayed at the Red Square Parade in Moscow in November 1977.
The AT-5 Spandrel anti-tank missile has a preloaded launch tube that is 47.2 inches long (1200mm) and has a diameter of 5.31 inches (135mm). The launcher weighs between 22 and 26.5 pounds (10 and 12kg).
A closure on the front of the launch tube blows out when the missile is fired. The exhaust is dissipated through a flared tail on the tube.
The Spandrel is designed to be launched from a vehicle. It mounted in fours on rails that are fixed to AFVs. When the AT-5 is platform- mounted in this way, it has a full 360-degree traverse.
The operator controls the missile from within the vehicle.
On larger AFVs, five Spandrels are mounted on a launcher frame, while up to 15 reload missiles are carried inside the vehicle. On smaller AFVs, a single launch tube is mounted on the turret roof, while spare reload missiles are carried inside.
The Spandrel can engage a target up to a maximum range of 4,374yards (4,000m). The HEAT warhead can penetrate up to 31.4 inches (800mm) of armor.
AT-5 Spandrel is the NATO reporting name for this anti-tank missile. In the USSR, the missile system was originally known as the 9K113 Konkurs and the missile was known as the 9M113 Konkurs.
The Spandrel is still in service in Russia and many other countries around the world, including former Soviet republics.