AT-1K Raybolt
AT-1K Raybolt launcher mounted on K153C1 Raycolt light tactical vehicle
TypeAnti-tank guided missile
Place of originSouth Korea
Service history
Used bySee Operators
WarsYemeni Civil War[1]
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War[2]
Production history
DesignerAgency for Defense Development
Hanwha Defense (launcher)
LIG Nex1 (missile)
Designed2007–2015[3]
ManufacturerHanwha Vision (launcher)
LIG Nex1 (missile)
ProducedJune 2017 – present
Specifications
Mass20 kg (44 lb) (include launcher)
13 kg (29 lb) (missile)
Crew
  • 2 (on foot)
  • 1 (vehicle-mounted)
Maximum firing range2,500 m (1.6 mi) 3,000 m (1.9 mi) (observed)
SightsThermal weapon sight
WarheadHEAT
Detonation
mechanism
Contact fuze
Blast yield900 mm (35 in) RHA behind ERA
Maximum speed Mach 1.7[4]
Guidance
system
fire-and-forget-aided Infrared guidance
Launch
platform
Man-portable launcher
Transport

The AT-1K Raybolt (Korean: 현궁 "Hyeon-gung",[5] Hanja: 晛弓) is a South Korean man-portable third-generation anti-tank guided missile built by LIG Nex1. It has fire-and-forget capability using an infrared imaging seeker and has a tandem-warhead to defeat explosive reactive armor. The Raybolt has a top attack and direct attack modes. It is the first ATGM to be built by South Korea and entered mass production in June 2017.

The Raybolt is positioned by its manufacturer as a competitor and peer with the American FGM-148 Javelin and Israeli Spike-MR ATGMs.[6]

The Raybolt was first shown publicly at the Indodefence 2014 exhibition[7] and at the IDEX 2015 exhibition.[8]

Development

Development began in 2007 and began in earnest in 2010, as South Korea's existing anti-tank guided missiles were reaching the end of their 25-year service life.[9] LIG Nex1's priorities during development were world-class performance, weight, export competitiveness through localization of core components, cost-efficiency, and reliability.[10] The development was not completely smooth, and for the first five years there were several failures with "Captive Flight Tests".[10] In a retrospective on the development of the Raybolt, one engineer assessed the greatest challenge as quality assurance.[10] On May 30, 2017, successfully completed the quality certification test of Raybolt organized by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).[11]

The Raybolt was developed to replace obsolete anti-tank weapons, such as recoilless rifles and TOW missiles.[12] South Korea's 1970s-vintage TOW missiles lacked tandem-warheads and would not be able to destroy modern North Korean tanks equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA).[12]

The Raybolt is produced by LIG Nex1 in cooperation with South Korea's Agency for Defense Development, under the auspices of the DAPA.[13] About 95% of the Raybolt is made in South Korea.[14]

The Raybolt underwent successful test evaluations in Saudi Arabia in December 2013 and January 2014.[10] The Raybolt contract is expected to be worth 1 trillion won through till 2023.[14]

Components

The Raybolt's most notable feature is an imaging infrared seeker providing fire-and-forget capability. It also has a tandem-warhead and both direct attack and top attack modes.[13] The Raybolt uses a smokeless propellant and can be fired from within a building.[13] The Raybolt missile and Observation and Launch Unit (OLU) can either be vehicle-mounted or carried as a manpack by two men.[13] There are also discussions to mount the Raybolt on helicopters.[10] The OLU has day/night capability via a thermal sight.[13] The missile uses a soft launch to escape the barrel before activating the main flight motor.[9] It is scheduled to be acquired over the 2018-2022 timeframe.[12]

The Raybolt system weight about 20 kg (44 lb),[12] which its manufacturer describes as lighter than peers.[6] The Raybolt's range is 2.5[15] or 3 km.[14] The Raybolt's HEAT tandem warhead can penetrate 900 mm of RHA beyond defeating ERA,[16] which is described as "excellent performance" by DAPA.[12]

AT-1K missile

The Raybolt has been marketed to India.[17] Park Tae-sik, senior manager at LIG Nex1, also reports interest from South America.[9]

The missile can be carried by a two-man crew or fitted to fire from vehicles. The South Korean Army uses an anti-tank version of the Kia Motors 4×4 Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) called the K-153C; the roof is equipped with a launcher turret with two missiles ready to fire and four additional missiles carried inside the vehicle.[15]

Launch platforms

Combat history

The Raybolt was delivered to the Republic of Korea Armed Forces in 2017.[12] It will be used by the Korean Army and the ROK Marine Corps.[10]

In 2018, the Raybolt was used in the Yemeni Civil War by Saudi-backed forces against the Houthis.[1][18]

Operators

AT-1K Raybolt operators

Future

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jeremy Binnie (26 June 2018). "South Korean Raybolt spotted in Yemen". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02.
  2. 1 2 Pavel Felgenhauer (1 October 2020). "Armenia in Dire Straits as Karabakh Conflict Reignites". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "현궁". Agency for Defense Development. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Park Won-ki (1 June 2017). "휴대용 대전차 미사일 '현궁' 사격 시험 성공". KBS. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Raybolt / Hyeongung ATGM".
  6. 1 2 "S Korea's Raybolt ATGM Set To Compete Against Israeli Spike, US Javelin". www.defenseworld.net. 2 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "LIG Nex 1 showcases Chiron portable SAM and Raybolt 3rd anti-tank guided missile | IndoDefence 2014 Official Show Daily News Coverage | Defence and security military army exhibition 2014".
  8. ↑ "Internal Server Error" (PDF).
  9. 1 2 3 Lee Seok-jong (22 October 2014). "빛과 같은 화살로 날아가 '꽝'대전차 임무 지형도가 바뀐다". kookbang.dema.mil.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Medium Range Infantry Missile Raybolt" (PDF). LIG Nex1 Magazine (in Korean). January–February 2014. pp. 6–15.
  11. ↑ "적 최신 전차 잡는 '현궁' 품질인증 사격 시험 성공! 올해부터 본격 양산 돌입!". Defense Acquisition Program Administration. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dagyum Ji (1 June 2017). "Seoul to mass-produce indigenous anti-tank guided missile: DAPA". NK News.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Medium Range Infantry Missile Raybolt" (PDF). www.lignex1.com. 26 September 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 Arthur, Gordon (7 December 2016). "Korea ignites Raybolt missile". www.shephardmedia.com. Hong Kong.
  15. 1 2 South Korean Raybolt ATGM missile in service with Saudi Arabia army. Army Recognition. 1 October 2018.
  16. ↑ Kelvin Wong (12 September 2018). "DX Korea 2018: RoKA unveils 4×4 K-153C ATGM carrier - Jane's 360". Jane's International Defence Review. Archived from the original on 2018-09-12.
  17. ↑ "DEFEXPO INDIA 2016". LIG Nex1. 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Frank Smith (20 April 2021). "South Korea muscles in on global arms trade". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  19. ↑ "Opinion: South Korea – the next big defence exporter?". www.shephardmedia.com. 19 September 2018.
  20. ↑ Hyo-jin, Lee (2023-10-17). "LIG Nex1 signs partnership agreement with Indonesia's Republikorp". koreatimes. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
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