9M134 Valtorna

9M134 Valtorna
File:YDCh-18.png Cross-sections of the YDCh-18, a Menghean license-produced copy
Type	Anti-tank guided missile
Place of origin	Template:Country data Federation of Socialist Republics
Service history
In service	1995-present
Used by	Template:Country data Federation of Socialist Republics Menghe (as YDCh-18)
Specifications
Weight	27 kg
Length	1.206 m
Diameter	152 mm
Wingspan	42 cm (fins extended)
Propellant	solid fuel rocket
Guidance system	SACLOS beam-riding
Steering system	aerodynamic surfaces

The 9M134 Valtorna (Letnevian: валторна, "French Horn") is an anti-tank guided missile developed in the Federation of Socialist Republics during the late 1980s and fielded in 1995. It is the successor to the 9M113 Klarnet, featuring improved accuracy and a more effective warhead. The system has been widely exported in Septentrion, especially to other members of the Turov Pact, and was license-produced in Menghe as the YDCh-18.

Design

In the FSR's GRAU designation system, 9M134 refers to the missile itself, and 9K134 to its entire supporting complex, consisting of the missile, launch tube, thermal sight, guidance system, and man-portable tripod. When integrated into an armored vehicle's fire-control system, this complex carries the designation 9K134T.

The 9M134 missile, in either of its variants, uses a simple beam-riding guidance system. After launch, the launch unit projects a laser beam toward the target, and the missile attempts to remain stable with respect to this beam until it strikes the target. It does so by means of a rear-facing receiver system mounted in the missile base, which is connected by wire to the control surfaces near the nose. Basic variants of the missile follow a roughly linear path to the target, while spiraling for increased stability, while 9M134D missiles ascend roughly 2 meters above the beam until the final 400 meters of their trajectory in order to reduce the danger of drifting into the ground or striking an obstacle.

The 9K134 missile system can be carried by a minimum of two personnel, and operated by one, but a typical anti-tank team may be larger to incorporate additional soldiers carrying reloads. It can be assembled onto its tripod and brought to a ready position in less than one minute, or fired from the shoulder in less time, at the cost of reduced stability and accuracy. Because the missile uses beam-riding guidance, the launcher and the guidance system cannot be separated prior to launch, or the latter may fail to acquire the missile.

Variants

Two main variants of the Valtorna were produced in the FSR. The standard anti-tank variant was designated 9M134-1, and used a large shaped charge in the missile body to penetrate steel armor and a precursor charge in the nose to defeat ERA tiles. It had a range of 5,500 meters and a speed of over 250 meters per second. Another variant, designated 9M134F (Fugasniy), uses a thermobaric warhead in place of the main HEAT charge, for greater effectiveness against structures and fortifications.

In 2005 the Federation of Socialist Republics released a new variant of the missile, designated 9M134D. Its sub-variants are 9M134-1D and 9M134FD, respectively. This missile uses a more efficient propellant to achieve a greater range, of 8 kilometers for the base version and 6 kilometers for the thermobaric version. Weight of the missile increased by two kilograms in both cases.

YDCh-18

In 1996, representatives of the Menghean Army expressed interest in the Valtorna missile. At that time, their main tube-launched ATGM was the YDCh-13, based on the FSR's 9M113 Klarnet-M. After some negotiations on the details of the agreement, the Federation of Socialist Republics gave the state-owned enterprise Taekchŏn Heavy Industries a license to produce the 9M134 in Menghe. The first deliveries of the system took place in 1998.

Unlike the YDCh-13, which incorporated some domestic changes from the original, the YDCh-18 was an exact copy of the Valtorna, differing only in using Menghean labels and instructions on its parts. It was produced in two variants: the YDCh-18A, based on the 9M134-1, and the YDCh-18B, based on the 9M134F. Both are based on the base variants of the 9M134, and lack the 9M134D's range improvements. These served as the main secondary armament of the BSCh-5D IFV, and was commonly seen in Menghean anti-tank dismount teams during the 2000s.

While impressed with the missile's overall performance, the Menghean Army was apparently dissatisfied with its armor-piercing ability, and developed the YDCh-70 to meet these deficiencies.