| « | 9M135 Vorona (NATO's reporting name: AT-19 Sweeper) is one of the newest ATGMs developed for CSAT's infantry and motorized units. The maximum range of this subsonic manual-guided missile is 2000 m, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. This is because the command launch unit features powerful optics with day and infra-red vision modes and a laser rangefinder. The launcher can even be used without a tripod, and can be mounted on vehicles like the Qilin light strike vehicle. Two 130mm missiles are currently available; anti-tank with a powerful tandem HEAT warhead, and anti-personnel with a HE-FRAG warhead. Field Manual
|
» |
The 9M135 Vorona is a 130 mm anti-tank missile launcher used exclusively by CSAT forces in ArmA 3. It was added with the release of the Tanks DLC.
Overview[]
The 9M135 Vorona is a wire-guided, shoulder-launched anti-tank missile launcher.
It is designed to load and fire missiles fitted with either high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) or high-explosive (HE) warheads. The launcher itself uses an optical scope that has a magnification strength of 2x, a built-in laser rangefinder, and is able to switch between using normal day and yellow/black-hot thermal vision modes.
A heavier counterpart to the (relatively) lighter Titan MPRL Compact, the 9M135 does not utilise infrared homing guidance to track vehicles and relies on SACLOS instead. The missiles themselves can be manually controlled up to a maximum distance of 2,000 metres.
The 9M135's two main drawbacks are that it is purely wire-guided and that its launcher is significantly heavier to carry compared to the Titan. In the case of the former, the 9M135's effectiveness will be solely dependent on the operator being able to maintain aim on the target constantly. Since it relies on SACLOS for guidance, this leaves them vulnerable for the entire duration of the missile's flight. Likewise, the 9M135's lack of an alternate top-attack flight profile will make hitting certain sections of a vehicle more difficult to achieve (i.e. hitting the turret of a moving tank).
However, as compensation for this lack of homing capability, both of the 9M135's anti-personnel and anti-vehicle warheads are significantly more powerful than the Titan's. Additionally, because it doesn't utilise any sensors for guidance, ground vehicles equipped with infrared warning receivers (IWR) will not be alerted to an incoming missile until it hits the vehicle or the crew spot it visually mid-flight. This, combined with its relatively quiet launch profile, makes the 9M135 a deadly AT launcher for setting up ambushes against unwary crews.
Optics[]
The 9M135 Vorona's optical sight cannot be manually zeroed. It has an integral laser rangefinder and features a black Y-shaped reticle that is not illuminated. The sight is able to switch between day, yellow-hot and black-hot thermal vision modes, and can transition between a Wide Field Of View (WFOV) or a Narrow Field of View (NFOV).
The black dot at the centre of the reticle represents the approximate point of impact for a launched missile. Depending on the trajectory and velocity of the missile, it may not always be able to hit the target point precisely.
Camouflage[]
- Brown: Dark coyote brown paint scheme. Used on Mediterranean CSAT 9M135 launchers.
- Green: Tropical green paint scheme. Only used by Pacific CSAT forces.
Munitions[]
The 9M135 Vorona is capable of loading and firing two types of missiles. They both have the same weight of 100 "mass" units:
HEAT[]
9M135 HEAT
| Warhead | Damage type | Base damage value | Penetration depth (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 150 | 2.4 |
| Secondary | Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 720 | 900 |
Standard-issue anti-armour missile. Uses a tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead.
The 9M135's HEAT missile is designed to punch through the armour of Main Battle Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles. It can also be used to raze fortified structures that would otherwise be immune to non-AT munitions.
Since it has a tandem warhead, the 9M135 can bypass slat cages with the explosive charge while the penetrator remains intact in order to inflict damage against the vehicle's actual armour. It is still recommended to destroy the slat cage with another explosive weapon or with the 9M135's own HE missile first however, as this will maximise the damage potential of the HEAT missile.
The HEAT missile has a maximum control range of 2,000 metres. It has an initial velocity speed of 150 m/s and can reach a top in-flight speed of 200 m/s. The primary explosive warhead has a blast radius of 3.5 metres and is partially capable of piercing up to ~ 2 millimetres of armour plating, while the kinetic submunition has a launch velocity of 1,000 m/s and a penetration depth of 900 millimetres.
HE[]
9M135 HE
| Damage type | Base damage value |
|---|---|
| High-Explosive | 220 |
Anti-personnel missile. Uses a high-explosive (HE) warhead.
The 9M135's HE missile is purely an anti-personnel munition. It will not harm armoured vehicles since the warhead lacks a penetrator submunition, and relies purely on explosive concussion to inflict damage. When used in conjunction with HEAT missiles, it can still be relatively useful against slat cages on armoured vehicles. Unarmoured vehicles like Offroads or Light Strike Vehicles are also prime targets for the HE missile.
The HE missile has a maximum control range of 2,000 metres. It has an initial velocity speed of 150 m/s and can reach a top in-flight speed of 200 m/s. The warhead has a blast radius of 8 metres.
Trivia[]
- The 9M135 Vorona appears to be based on the real-world "9K115-2 Metis-M" ATGM, a Russian-made wire-guided missile launcher designed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau.
- Like the MAAWS Mk4 Mod 0/1, the 9M135 was added as part of the Tanks DLC's free platform update[1] and can be freely used regardless of whether players own the DLC or not.[2]
- Despite the addition of the Russian Spetsnaz faction following the Contact expansion pack's release, no Russian units utilise or have access to the 9M135 by default.
- Ironically, both the 9M135 and the Rahim marksman rifle are the only modernised Russian-made weapons that are specifically not used by Spetsnaz operatives.
- Prior to Game Update 2.10, the spectrums used by the 9M135's launcher sights were orange-hot and red-hot. Post-patch, they have since been changed to a whitish yellow and black-hot mode instead.[3]
- It is one of the only three shoulder-fired ATGMs that are currently available in ArmA 3, and is the first to be exclusive to CSAT forces.
- In spite of its introduction, it did not replace the Titan Compact for CSAT forces. According to the developers, this was a deliberate design decision so that CSAT would have a balanced mix of three launchers that each required a "different approach".[4]
- The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
- A static variant of the Vorona was considered by the developers long before the Tanks DLC was released. However, it was scrapped early on due to time constraints and limited development resources.[5]
Gallery[]
Video[]
References[]
- ↑ Kovařič, V 2018, SPOTREP #00079, Arma 3, viewed 12 April 2018, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00079>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. et al. 2019, Arma 3: DLC Restrictions, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 24 January 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_DLC_Restrictions>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2022, SPOTREP #00105, Arma 3, viewed 23 October 2022, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00105>.
- ↑ wattywatts 2018, Titan is used by all main factions. As we were making new AT launchers, we primarily wanted to fill the gap and have one unguided launcher, usable for NATO, AAF and all kinds or irregulars. Then we also wanted to give CSAT something new, unique, of their own design, something requiring different approach than RPG or the Titan., Bohemia Interactive Forums, viewed 1 February 2024, <https://forums.bohemia.net/forums/topic/143930-general-discussion-dev-branch/?do=findComment&comment=3275660>.
- ↑ wattywatts 2018, Static Vorona and SPG-9 were considered, as many of other nice-to-have assets, but with the given resources and deadlines, we had to focus on the high-priority assets., Bohemia Interactive Forums, viewed 21 March 2023, <https://forums.bohemia.net/forums/topic/143930-general-discussion-dev-branch/?do=findComment&comment=3275660>.
External links[]
See also[]
Weapons of comparable role and configuration[]
- Titan MPRL Compact (NATO/AAF/Alternate CSAT counterpart)
- Metis-M 9K115 (Russian Armed Forces predecessor, ArmA 2 only)
 CSAT - Armoury (ArmA 3)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | Rook-40 9 mm • Zubr .45 |
| Submachine guns | Sting 9 mm |
| Carbines | Katiba Carbine 6.5 mm |
| Assault rifles | CAR-95 series (CAR-95, CAR-95 GL) • Katiba 6.5 mm (Katiba GL) • SDAR 5.56 mm • Type 115 6.5 mm* |
| Designated marksman rifles | ASP-1 Kir 12.7 mm • CMR-76 6.5 mm • Cyrus 9.3 mm • Rahim 7.62 mm |
| Sniper rifles | GM6 Lynx 12.7 mm |
| Squad automatic weapons | CAR-95-1 5.8 mm • Zafir 7.62 mm |
| Machineguns | Navid 9.3 mm |
| Launchers | 9M135 Vorona • RPG-42 • Titan MPRL • Titan MPRL Compact |
| Static | Mk6 Mortar • Mk30 • Mk32 • Remote Designator • Static Titan Launcher (AA, AT) |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. * denotes weapons exclusive to the Viper sub-faction. Marksmen DLC | Apex DLC | Tanks DLC | |