Russian Army Mounts Kornet ATGM on Motorcycle

Russian forces have adapted MZ-8.103-10 Ural motorcycles with sidecars into mobile self-propelled platforms for the Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system, according to images and reports emerging from the conflict in Ukraine.

These modified motorcycles, long used in reconnaissance and logistics roles, are now being employed to deliver rapid anti-armor strikes. The Kornet, one of Russia’s most powerful ATGMs, can destroy any tank currently in service with Ukrainian forces. It is also compatible with high-explosive and thermobaric warheads for use against fortifications and personnel.

The 9P163M-1 launcher with 9M133-1 or 9M133-2 missiles is mounted directly on the Ural’s sidecar, alongside the weapon operator. The configuration allows the crew to arrive quickly at a firing position, engage targets up to 8,000 meters away in daylight, and strike at night within a 4,500–4,700-meter range using a 1PN79M-2 or 1PN79M-3 thermal imaging sight.

The system can also fire the 9M133FM-3 multi-purpose missile, which has a 10-kilometer range and can intercept unmanned aerial vehicles and other air threats moving at speeds of up to 950 km/h, thanks to a non-contact fuse and high-explosive warhead.

Reports indicate the Kornet motorcycle teams are accompanied by personnel equipped with interceptor drones or VPO-205 carbines loaded with shotgun shells to counter incoming enemy first-person-view (FPV) drones.