I stumbled across a really interesting missile a couple days ago. I love a good roboteching missile, but am always saddened by the fact that anything as aesthetically pleasing as something from Macross likely won’t exist anytime soon. For a great many reasons, practicality of such a device being the primary one. Well what do you know, such a thing does exist.
Introducing the 9K121 Vikhr, NATO designation AT-16 Scallion. During the Cold War, Western intelligence picked up that the Soviets were creating some sort of “laser beam riding” air to surface missile. It was presumed to be similar to the AGM-114 Hellfire, which at the time was also guided by a laser. Until the end of the Cold War though, it really wasn’t clear exactly what the Soviets were making as the pictures of the missile showed no seeker head. In actuality, the Soviets developed something much more creative and unconventional.
The Vikhr missile is in actuality guided by a laser based system. However, the missile doesn’t just home into the reflection of the laser on the target like a traditional laser guided weapon might. Instead, sensors mounted in the tail, facing backwards guide the missile towards the center of the laser beam. It is a less complex system requiring less intricate electronics, and is extremely resistant to countermeasures because that would require something to get in between the launcher and the missile.
To capitalize on the low cost of the guidance system, the missile is steered in a very unique way. The static fins in the back cause the missile to spiral through its entire flight. To steer the missile one moving fin is used to adjust the radius of the spiral such that changing the radius at different areas in the spiral causes a change in overall direction. The end result is a very cheap missile to manufacture. You could build five of these for the cost an equivalent Hellfire missile. Pilots are also encouraged to launch them in pairs.
Another neat feature of the system is that because they are guided while in flight, it is possible to launch many of the missile at the same time at a convoy, and as each pair hits one vehicle in the convoy, you simply drag the laser over the next vehicle, and wait for the next pair to hit, rinse and repeat. In one extended salvo it is possible to knock out a good amount of targets just by repositioning the laser while the missiles are in flight. The laser and missile also can track slow flying aircraft such as attack aircraft and helicopters, coupled with a built in proximity fuse, it makes the Vikhr a rather versatile weapons system.
I’ve only been able to find one video of the real missile in action. It is a very cool video.
