The 9M127 Vikhr-1 is a Russian air-launched anti-tank guided missile in the Vikhr/Vikhr-M family, associated with KBP development and Kalashnikov production. It uses laser beam-riding guidance, a tandem shaped-charge/fragmentation warhead, and attack-helicopter launch platforms such as the Ka-52, giving Russian aviation a standoff anti-armor weapon documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Russian forces are documented using Vikhr-1/Vikhr-family missiles from attack helicopters in Ukraine. EU Council sanctions documentation identifies Kalashnikov-produced Vikhr-1 missiles as used by Russian forces in the war, while TASS and defense reporting tie the missile to Ka-52 anti-armor loads and Russian MoD deliveries.
Role detailsThe missile is best understood as part of a sighting, launcher, and carrier-aircraft package rather than as a hand-launched round. Sources consistently describe laser beam-riding guidance, automatic target tracking in the Vikhr-M system context, and Ka-52 carriage as central to the Vikhr-1 role.
| Element | Sourced detail | Reader value |
|---|---|---|
| Guidance | Laser beam-riding missile control with automatic target tracking described for the Vikhr-M/Vikhr-1 system. | Explains why the munition stays tied to the launching aircraft's sighting and control channel. |
| Engagement envelope | Kalashnikov lists an 800-10,000 m range envelope, and defense reporting repeats a more than 600 m/s missile-speed class. | Frames the missile as a standoff anti-armor weapon for attack-helicopter crews. |
| Carrier integration | Ka-52 carriage is documented by Kalashnikov, Army Recognition, and WeaponSystems.net; Mi-28 and UAV adaptation work is reported separately. | Separates documented Ka-52 carriage from broader integration or adaptation claims. |
Sources: Vikhr-1 Guided Aircraft Missile; Kalashnikov delivers Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian MoD; Kamov Ka-52 Alligator; Mi-28N to be armed with improved Vikhr-1; Kalashnikov Group could use Vikhr missiles on UAVs and helicopters.
The Vikhr-1 is an air-launched missile, so its battlefield role depends on attack-helicopter and aircraft integration rather than a standalone ground launcher.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Attack helicopter | Kalashnikov and Army Recognition identify the Ka-52 as a Vikhr-1 carrier, and WeaponSystems.net describes Ka-52 hardpoints carrying Vikhr anti-tank missiles on UPP-800 racks. Sources: Vikhr-1 Guided Aircraft Missile, Kalashnikov delivers Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian MoD, Kamov Ka-52 Alligator |
 | Attack helicopter | Russian defense-industry reporting described adaptation of the Vikhr-1 missile for Mi-28N/Mi-28NM-family attack helicopters, broadening the missile beyond its core Ka-52 carriage. Sources: Mi-28N to be armed with improved Vikhr-1, Kalashnikov Group could use Vikhr missiles on UAVs and helicopters |
 | Close-air-support aircraft | Open reference sources list Su-25T/Su-25TM carriage for the wider Vikhr family; this relationship is retained as family context rather than a documented Vikhr-1 combat-use claim. Sources: 9K121 Vikhr |
The Vikhr family is often described through overlapping missile, launcher, and system designations. The table below keeps those names separate so the record can be read as a munition page rather than a helicopter page.
| Designation | What it describes | Catalog use |
|---|---|---|
| 9K121 Vikhr | Baseline Soviet/Russian laser beam-riding missile system | Family background and alias coverage. |
| 9K121M Vikhr-M | Modernized aviation missile system branch | System context for the upgraded 9M127-1 missile. |
| 9M127 / 9M127-1 Vikhr-1 | Guided aircraft missile carried in launch containers | Primary munition represented by this page. |
| AT-16 Scallion | NATO reporting name used in reference sources | Search alias and cross-reference term. |
Sources: 9K121 Vikhr; Vikhr-1 Guided Aircraft Missile; Kalashnikov delivers Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian MoD; Egypt first international customer for Vikhr-1.
Open reference and defense-industry reporting describe the original Vikhr anti-tank guided missile family as entering Soviet service in the mid-1980s.
Sources: 9K121 Vikhr, Egypt first international customer for Vikhr-1
The 9K121 Vikhr family was publicly shown at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow, helping establish the system's export-facing identity.
Sources: 9K121 Vikhr
Airforce Technology reported a Russian Ministry of Defence contract with Izhmash for Vikhr-1 laser-guided anti-tank missile-system deliveries, with completion scheduled by 2015.
Sources: Izhmash to supply Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian military
Defense reporting says upgraded Vikhr-1 supplies to Russian forces began in 2015 after the family had not been mass-produced in the same way during the Soviet period.
Sources: Egypt first international customer for Vikhr-1, Kalashnikov delivers Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian MoD
Army Recognition, citing SIPRI transfer data, reported Egypt as the first international customer for the 9A1472 Vikhr-1 missile for its Ka-52 helicopter fleet.
Sources: Egypt first international customer for Vikhr-1
A Russian Ministry of Defence video file hosted on Wikimedia Commons describes Vikhr-1 missile tests by a Ka-52 from roughly 300 m altitude against targets about 8 km away.
Sources: File:Testing of Vikhr-1 missiles (28-10-2020).webm
TASS reported Russian expert commentary on Vikhr missiles in the context of Western tanks supplied to Ukraine and identified the missile as part of the Ka-52 assault helicopter ammunition load; later sanctions documentation also tied Vikhr-1 missiles to Russian use in the war.
Sources: Vikhr air-launched missile can smash any Western tank transferred to Ukraine, EU Council Decision 2026 Vikhr-1 Ukraine sanctions
Kalashnikov and TASS reported that a modified Vikhr-1 missile with improved combat capabilities had entered production and shipment, without disclosing detailed performance changes.
Sources: Kalashnikov releases updated Vikhr-1 missile, Kalashnikov improves Vikhr-1 aviation missile
