9K121 Vikhr

It was first shown publicly at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow.

• Is Missile — yes • Name — 9K121 Vikhr • Origin — Soviet Union • Type — Air-launched Anti-Air/Tank Missile • Used By — Russian Air Force Egyptian Air Force • Wars — Russian invasion of Ukraine • Manufacturer — KBP Instrument Design Bureau • Unit Cost — Unknown • Propellant — Solid fuel • Production Date — 1985–present • Service — 1985–present • Engine — Solid-fuel rocket • Weight — 45 kg • Length — 2.80 m • Diameter — 130 mm • Wingspan — 380 mm • Speed — 610m/s, Mach 1.8 • Vehicle Range — 10–12 km • Filling — 8–12 kg tandem HEAT charge, armor penetration behind ERA, 1,000 mm; or 750mm • Guidance — Laser beam riding • Detonation — Proximity and Impact • Launch Platform — Helicopters • Mi-28NM • Ka-50 • Ka-52 Aircraft • Su-25T/25TM Ships • AK-630 Vikhr-K

The 9K121 Vikhr follows the typical design of Soviet air-to-ground missiles. It has a long, cylindrical body with a cruciform set of tail fins and canards. It has a conical tip, with a small hole, which provides airspeed information necessary for its unusual guidance system. There are two rocket engines on the aft end, and two small rocket engines mounted radially just forward of the midpoint of the missile. These two rocket engines are pointed equally away from the boresight of the missile, causing it to spin. This spin provides the ability for the missile to steer itself. Unlike air-to-air missiles which need all four canards to be able to move in order to be highly agile and stable in flight, the 9K121 has only one moving canard. The spin imparted by the two forward rocket motors cause the missile to spin along its trajectory. If the laser detector detects that the missile is veering off of the laser beam provided by the guiding aircraft, the sole moving canard in the front of the missile angles itself causing the front to try and have a different rate of roll than the back of the missile. This leads to instability in the missile's spin, making it 'wobble', similar to an improperly thrown (American) football. When the missile has a desirable attitude in its wobbling pattern, the canard straightens. This stabilizes the spin of the missile, now having it point in the desired direction. This results in an erratic flight pattern, although the missile itself is highly accurate. The missile is outfitted with a 4kg-5.5kg high explosive tandem charge, which proves effective against armored, semi armored, and non armored targets. It is also effective against airborne targets, although the beam-riding guidance system of the VIkhr makes it difficult to accurately hit fast-moving targets such as jets as opposed to slow airborne targets such as supply helicopters. The aft end of the missile contains two laser detectors, located radially between the two aft rocket engines. The spinning motion of the missile allows the missile to compare the difference in detected strength as it spins, and correct itself to stay within the laserbeam provided by the guiding vehicle.

• 9A1472 Vikhr-1 – Upgraded version. Supplies to the Russian troops started in 2015.

* * *

In June 2023, a military analyst said to Tass that the Vikhr could destroy "any Western tank transferred to Ukraine", in the battle to repel the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In August 2024, while the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk raged on, footage emerged of a Mi-28 night-time sortie during which the helicopter attacked tanks with its Vikhr missiles.