Munitions

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round

Also known as
  • 3UBK23-3
  • 3ZUBK23-3
  • 9M117M1 Arkan
  • 9M117M1-3
  • 9M117M1-3 Arcan
  • 3UBK23-3 Arkan
  • Arkan round
  • BMP-3 Arkan round

The 3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan is a Russian 100 mm laser beam-riding anti-tank guided round from KBP Instrument Design Bureau for 2A70 gun-launcher vehicles such as the BMP-3 and BMD-4M. Army Guide lists the round with a 5,500 m range, while limited open-source evidence places 3UBK23-3 rounds inside a Russian VDV BMD-4M in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War without confirming a launch.

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round, 100 mm laser-guided anti-tank missile, Munitions
Image source: File:9M117M1-3 Arkan missile at Engineering Technologies 2012.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Anti-Armor
Side
Russia

Open-source imagery identified 3UBK23-3 rounds for the 9M117M1-3 Arkan system inside a Russian VDV BMD-4M in the Mykolaiv area in June 2022; the source supports fielding with the vehicle, not a confirmed firing event.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Caliber
100 mm
Missile designation
9M117M1-3 Arkan
Firing range
5,500 m
Length
1,185 mm
Weight
21.5 kg
Warhead
Tandem HEAT
Reported penetration
Up to 750 mm rolled homogeneous armor after explosive reactive armor
Guidance
Laser beam-riding SACLOS
Launch method
Gun-launched guided round
Compatible platforms
BMP-3 and BMD-4M 2A70 gun-launcher vehicles
Variants

Open references place the Arkan round inside the 100 mm gun-launched 9M117 missile family, with 3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 representing the longer-range Arkan configuration for BMP-3-family gun-launchers.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
3UBK10M-3 / 9M117M laser-guided anti-tank round, 100 mm laser-guided anti-tank round, Munitions3UBK10M-3 / 9M117M laser-guided anti-tank roundEarlier 100 mm BMP-3 guided round

The related 3UBK10M-3 / 9M117M record covers an adjacent BMP-3 guided round in the same gun-launched missile family, while Army Recognition distinguishes the 3UBK23-3 fixed round as using the 9M117M1-3 Arkan missile.

Sources: Analysis Russian anti-tank guided missiles & ammunition able to destroy modern armored vehicles

Firing Weapons

Open references place the Arkan round in the BMP-3 family and tie it to the BMD-4M's 2A70 gun-launcher as well.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
BMP-3, Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMP-3Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle

Army Guide lists 3UBK23-3 as a round included in the BMP-3 family, and Army Recognition says the Arkan fixed round with the 9M117M1-3 ATGM is offered for the BMP-3 IFV and fired from its gun-launcher.

Sources: 3UBK23-3, Analysis Russian anti-tank guided missiles & ammunition able to destroy modern armored vehicles

BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne infantry fighting vehicle

Army Recognition says the BMD-4M's 2A70 100 mm cannon can fire 9M117M1 Arkan laser-guided ammunition at up to 5,500 m.

Sources: Russian forces in Ukraine use BMD-4M its latest generation of tracked airborne IFV

Designation And Launcher Context

The Arkan entry is best read as a guided ammunition page: the catalog links the round to vehicles that fire it, while the conflict row only records directly sourced fielding evidence for the round itself.

ElementRecorded detailReader context
Fixed round3UBK23-3 / 3ZUBK23-3 with the 9M117M1-3 Arkan missileIdentifies the complete BMP-3-family ammunition item rather than only the missile body.
Guidance and rangeLaser beam-riding SACLOS guidance and a listed 5,500 m firing rangeExplains why the round is cataloged as precision anti-tank ammunition instead of conventional 100 mm gun ammunition.
Firing vehiclesBMP-3 and BMD-4M 2A70 gun-launcher platformsThe round's battlefield relevance comes through vehicles that combine the 100 mm gun-launcher with other cannon and machine-gun armament.
Conflict evidence limitJune 2022 OSINT identified rounds in a Russian VDV BMD-4M in the Mykolaiv areaThis supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War fielding context, but it does not by itself prove the round was fired.
Timeline

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round Key Events

  1. Arkan round photographed at Engineering Technologies 2012

    The primary Wikimedia Commons image records a 9M117M1-3 Arkan missile photographed at the Engineering Technologies 2012 forum.

  2. 3UBK23-3 rounds identified in a VDV BMD-4M

    An open-source post identified cannon-launched 3UBK23-3 rounds for the 9M117M1-3 Arkan system inside a Russian VDV BMD-4M in the Mykolaiv area.

Media

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round Images

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round, 100 mm laser-guided anti-tank missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: File:BMP-3.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicleThe BMD-4/BMD-4M is a Russian airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle built for VDV units, combining a light parachutable tracked chassis with the Bakhcha-U turret's 100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher, 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, and coaxial machine gun. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Russian airborne assault vehicle, with visually documented losses at Hostomel and later BMD-4M deliveries showing factory add-on armor, slat armor, and Nakidka signature-reduction kits shaped by the Ukraine battlefield.
AK-103-2 assault rifle, 7.62x39mm assault rifle variant, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAK-103-2 assault rifle7.62x39mm assault rifle variantThe AK-103-2 is the three-round-burst export variant of the Russian AK-103, a 7.62x39mm AK-100-series rifle derived from the AK-74M layout but chambered for the older AKM cartridge. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency context, available open-source evidence is limited: the specific AK-103-2 identification comes from visual reporting of Boko Haram militants around Lake Chad, while separate Nigerian court reporting documents alleged AK-103 rifle trafficking from Diffa toward a Boko Haram recipient.
9M119M Refleks / Invar, 125 mm gun-launched anti-tank guided missile round, MunitionsMunitions9M119M Refleks / Invar125 mm gun-launched anti-tank guided missile roundThe 9M119M Refleks / Invar is a 125 mm gun-launched anti-tank guided missile round for Soviet/Russian smoothbore tank guns. U.S. Army ODIN identifies the Svir and Refleks family as laser beam-riding ATGMs, Army Recognition describes the 3UBK20 Invar round as intended for T-72B, T-80U, and T-90S tanks, and BDL investor material lists INVAR as a T-90 gun-barrel-fired weapon produced in India under Rosoboronexport technology transfer. In Ukraine, public OSINT imagery documents captured 9M119/3UBK20 missiles in Kharkiv Oblast, while available public evidence does not confirm firing events.

Sources

3UBK23-3Publisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the 3UBK23-3 designation, KBP Instrument Design Bureau manufacturer attribution, 100 mm caliber, 5,500 m range, length, weight, and BMP-3 family inclusion. | Accessed: 2026-06-299M117M1-3 ArcanPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the 9M117M1-3 Arcan designation, KBP Instrument Design Bureau attribution, and the modernization context for the 100/115 mm round family. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Russian forces in Ukraine use BMD-4M its latest generation of tracked airborne IFVPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the BMD-4M 2A70 100 mm cannon firing 9M117M1 Arkan laser-guided ammunition at up to 5,500 m. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Analysis Russian anti-tank guided missiles & ammunition able to destroy modern armored vehiclesPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the BMP-3-fired 3UBK23-3 Arkan fixed round, its 9M117M1-3 ATGM fit, laser beam-riding SACLOS guidance, tandem HEAT warhead, reported armor penetration, and 5,500 m firing range. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Rob Lee Arkan rounds in VDV BMD-4MPublisher: X / Rob Lee | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct fielding context by identifying cannon-launched 3UBK23-3 rounds for the 9M117M1-3 Arkan system in a Russian VDV BMD-4M vehicle in the Mykolaiv area; treated as limited open-source imagery evidence and not as proof of a firing event. | Accessed: 2026-06-29File:9M117M1-3 Arkan missile at Engineering Technologies 2012.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Arkan missile photograph used as the primary gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29File:BMP-3.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the BMP-3 gallery image used as contextual launcher-platform artwork. | Accessed: 2026-06-29