BM-8 / BM-13 / BM-31 (Katyusha)

History

The Soviet Army became an expert in the use of battlefield missiles during World War II. The BM-13 series (better known as "Katyusha", derived from the small, cordial form of "Katya") deployed lethal rockets, 132mm high-explosive rockets that proved to be devastating to the heart of the German army on a basic launch trajectory sex, and became the most widespread form of mobile launcher for the Red Army.

Despite its 1930s pedigree, Katyushas in various forms can still be found today, a weapon system favored by cash-strapped armies and insurgents alike. The term "Katyusha" also forms a family of like-minded vehicles that can fit different numbers of missiles on different vehicle chassis types.

The Katyusha was designed in the second half of the 1930s and did not enter service until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. There were very few launchers available at the time, with only a handful of 132mm rockets to launch.

In any case, the system is always in service whenever possible, keeping weak defenses intact until production can keep up with demand. Regardless, these weapon systems sounded the alarm for unsuspecting German troops, especially during the July 1941 Battle of Smolensk.

The Germans nicknamed Katyusha "Stalin's Organ" because of the layout of the launch track (pipes that mimicked an organ) and the noise the rocket made during launch. Katyusha is also called "Little Katie" by some.

Although the BM-13 originated in the 1930s, it survived throughout World War II in support of the coming Cold War. Of course, since she was in large numbers, the Katyusha system would be exported as much as possible to Soviet allies. While the system was generally discontinued in the Soviet Army around 1980, it was in use in the armed forces of other countries for much longer - a modernized form that simply ditched the original Cold War era truck chassis and replaced it with a modern, modern Chassis type was replaced.

Regardless, the design philosophy inherent to the original BM-13 remains largely unchanged.

Katyusha was supplied in large quantities to Communist-controlled East Germany during the Cold War and was used by the Chinese during their participation in the Korean War. The weapon was in service on both sides of the Iran-Iraq war, and the Syrian version of the weapon was captured by Israeli forces - enough to actually form two launcher battalions for the IDF.

The Katyusha proved to be alive and well in the Vietnam War, and its use was further documented by Hezbollah's use of Israeli targets during the 2006 Lebanon War. As recently as March 2008, insurgents were also believed to have used such weapons against coalition forces in Iraq's fortified "green zone".

It is believed that over 10,000 Katyusha rocket launch platforms were built during World War II. In addition to the extraordinary 132mm Kayusha model BM-13-16, there is also the BM-8-8, which has a launch track for 8 82mm rockets on the Willis MB JEEP, USA, and the BM-8-24, which has 24 82 - mm launch tubes on Soviet T-40 and T-60 light tank chassis, BM-8-48 with 48 82 mm launch rails on Soviet ZiS-6 or American Studebaker US6 U3 series trucks and with BM - 12 300mm rockets on the chassis of the American Studebaker US6 U3 series trucks of the 31-12.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Performance

Armor

8, 24 or 48 x 82 mm rockets (BM-8)

16 x 132mm rockets (BM-13)

12 x 300mm rockets (BM-31)

High-explosive, armor-piercing, flares, and flares.

Changes