BM-21 (Grad)

History

The BM-21 "Grad" is a specialized weapon used in one form or another by over 65 nations, and despite its Cold War origins, remains a viable and relatively inexpensive system today. Although chassis and missile technology has evolved over the years, the fundamentals of delivering large quantities of directed explosives to a target area remain at the heart and soul of the BM-21 system.

The name "BM-21" comes from "Boyevaya Mashina" (meaning "chariot"), while the missile system ("M-21") provides the numerical designation. "Grad" is just a nickname that translates to "hail," like "hailstorm," aptly describing the BM-21's firepower.

The Soviet Union gained a lot of valuable experience with mobile Katyusha rocket launchers during World War II, especially after the German invasion of the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. These trucks can be mass-produced in a short period of time, and almost any wheeled vehicle can be turned into a projector. Once assembled, these missile delivery systems can be used to attack areas where enemy forces or soft-skinned vehicles are concentrated, firing high-explosive salvos. While not entirely accurate, these weapon systems make up for their limitations with sheer firepower, a definite psychological weapon to say the least.

Undoubtedly, with the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Army emphasized the continued development and production of similar missile delivery platforms for combat within the framework of Soviet armament principles.

The original BM-21 was developed in the early 1960s and entered Army inventory in 1964. When formalized by the West, the system received the simple designation "M1964". In general, the BM-21 consists of a launch vehicle with a rocket launcher system.

The original BM-21 Grad was based on the Ural-375D 6x6 truck chassis, but was later upgraded to the Ural-4320 6x6 truck chassis in 1976. In both forms, the vehicle has improved ground clearance and benefits from its all-wheel drive, 6-wheel design for off-road maneuverability.

The projectile portion of the weapon system is known as the "M-21 Field Rocket System". The launch system itself consists of 40 x 122mm launch tubes, stacked horizontally in four rows of ten. The tubes are joined together and pivoted on a pivot platform behind the truck's cab as a unit. This allows the BM-21 to engage the target area without repositioning the entire launcher.

The crew compartment is unarmored and therefore unprotected prior to launch, requiring extra care from the crew. The launch tube can fire 40 missiles in 20 seconds, and the crew can schedule each missile to be fired individually, in groups, or as needed.

The BM-21 is normally operated by a crew of four, but the extra crew allows for faster setup and turnaround times.

The truck chassis itself is a solid 4x4 platform with a 180hp gasoline powered V-8 engine. The engine is usually mounted to the front of the chassis, with the crew compartment just behind. The launch platform and launch tube are located on a bracket on the rear of the truck. The BM-21 is usually deployed with a supply vehicle (6x6 "9T254") carrying 60 supply missiles. The reloading process takes about ten minutes and requires the crew to manually insert each missile into its respective launch tube.

Each launch tube is "towed" to promote stability in flight, albeit at the expense of increased range.

Each rocket is over 9 feet long and is located inside each launch tube. The missile retains its own airborne stabilizer, making it a relatively accurate weapon when targeting an areanot when trying to engage precision targets. Any missile can be equipped with a variety of recognized military warheads, from typical high-explosive (HE) and fragmentation warheads to specialized versions including radio frequency jammer, illumination, chemical or incendiary types. In addition, the missile can "drop" submunitions in the form of anti-tank or anti-personnel bomblets at the target area. Depending on missile type, warhead and operating conditions, the range is up to 20 miles.

Each missile can also be equipped with any warhead designed and developed by the respective operator and is no longer limited to Soviet/Russian products.

The BM-21 has expanded into a large number of variants, some incorporating original Soviet/Russian designs, while others are advancements within their respective armies. Major operators outside the USSR/Russia are Algeria (250), Bulgaria (300), Cambodia (100), Greece (116), India (over 150), Iran (over 100), Kazakhstan (100), Poland (219) ), Romania (352), Syria (250), Ukraine (600), Vietnam (800) and Yemen (280). Some countries have M-21 rocket projectors mounted on local chassis for 6x6 or 8x8 wheel capability. Russia is believed to still have access to around 1,750 BM-21 systems and their variants.

Updated versions are available all over the world.

China produced a copy of the BM-21 called the "Type 81 SPRL" based on an example captured in the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979. Your version differs only in that it uses a native Chinese 6x6 chassis and has a crew compartment blast cover. Additional subvariants of this basic family line exist.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

40 x 122mm rocket

Changes