On the central street of Tula, I noticed on one of the houses a memorial plaque erected in honor of the “prominent Soviet designer, Hero of Socialist Labor Alexander Nikitovich Ganichev." I couldn’t resist asking a passerby what made Ganichev famous? He shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment. Another suggested that he most likely worked at the famous Arms Factory. But the third one smiled mysteriously...
After the Great Patriotic War designers have been developing MLRS for some time, developing the installation scheme volley fire with open guides. If the famous “Katyusha” BM-13 (“TM” No. 5 for 1985) fired unguided 132-mm shells, then the BM-14 and BM-24, which appeared in the early 50s, fired turbojet shells. After such a projectile left the guide, part of the powder gases rushed not only back, but also to the side, causing it to rotate like a bullet, which gave it stability in flight. But the range was limited - to increase it, it was necessary to increase the mass of solid fuel in the engine, that is, to lengthen the projectile, but then it became unstable.
By the mid-50s, MLRS with a longer range were needed to replace the aging Katyushas. Since the specialists from the Jet Research Institute who were involved in them had already switched to creating space technology, in 1957 they announced a competition for the design of a system that could fire at a distance of 20 km. The Tula enterprise, headed by A.N. Ganichev, won it.
By that time, Ganichev had created a fundamentally different technology for manufacturing cartridges for artillery shells using the deep drawing method,” recalls designer N.S. Chukov. “They were especially strong, with walls of the same thickness. Here Ganichev - after the war he worked in the People's Commissariat of Ammunition - and proposed to use this method for the production of rocket shells and tubular guides.
After 1958, the new combat vehicle successfully passed tests and was put into service in 1963 under the designation BM-21 Grad. Its artillery part is a package with 40 tubular guides, mounted on the chassis of a three-axle all-terrain vehicle "Ural-375" on rotating and lifting devices. The latter serves to impart a tilt to the guides corresponding to the specified firing range.
The main feature of the Grad, in addition to the tubular launcher, was the 122 mm projectile. Unlike turbojet aircraft, it did not rotate in flight - its stability was ensured by the tail unit opening as it exited the guide. Therefore, they were able to make the projectile longer, increasing the firing range and strengthening the high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a contact fuse. In 1971, the ammunition was replenished with an incendiary projectile. .
Baptism of fire The “Grad” took place during the famous events near Damansky Island. Then the command turned to the Tula residents Airborne troops, having ordered a similar MLRS, only lighter and more compact, suitable for transportation on transport aircraft or dropped under a parachute on a platform equipped with the system soft landing. “Grad-V” was made with 12 barrels on the chassis of a GAZ-66 truck, and then on the basis of a tracked vehicle. The high-explosive fragmentation shell was the same.
"Grad" refers to divisional artillery systems. However, the military needed a regimental installation, more maneuverable, with a slightly shorter (up to 15 km) firing range. And in 1976, the Grad-1 combat vehicle emerged from the walls of the State Research and Production Enterprise “Splav” (as the shell “company” began to be called). It was made with 36 guides on the basis of the serial ZIL-131 truck, and later again on a tracked chassis. Similar 122-mm shells have been somewhat modernized. In high-explosive fragmentation, so-called ready-made fragments were provided - during assembly at the factory, the shell of its exploding part was pre-cut into slices. And 180 elements (incendiary, of course) were introduced into the incendiary, which were scattered throughout the area during the explosion.
11 years later, based on the well-proven and proven Grad, they released a 50-barreled Prima, mounted on a three-axle Ural-4320. A crew of three people can fire 122-mm shells one by one, in a burst or in a salvo (not immediately, otherwise the vehicle will capsize, but in half a minute), covering any targets over an area of 190 thousand square meters at a distance of 5 to 20 km. There is also a novelty - when a high-explosive fragmentation device is used for the first purpose indicated in its name, its detachable combat unit scatters 36 combat elements. They descend by parachute and explode when they hit the ground. This was the case at first, but now - at a certain altitude, which is why the effect of all 2450 fragments has become much more effective. And one more thing - if on the Grads the type of response (fragmentation or high-explosive) of each projectile had to be set manually, then on the Prima this operation (as well as adjusting the warhead separation time) is performed by the operator from a remote control located in the vehicle’s cabin.
However, we have gotten a little ahead of ourselves. In addition to the regimental one, the military also needed a more powerful army MLRS. At Splav, work on it was completed in 1975. It's about about "Hurricane". A package with 16 guides for 220 mm was placed on the chassis of the four-axle ZIL-135LM high-explosive fragmentation shells(with a 100-kilogram warhead), high-explosive cluster fragmentation (with 30 striking elements) and incendiary. A salvo fired in just 20 seconds at a distance of 10 to 20 km hits everything located on an area of 426 thousand square meters.
And in 1980, Splav specialists found a new use for the Hurricane - they for the first time proposed mining enemy territory from rocket launchers(which was later picked up abroad). Projectiles were created filled with 24 anti-tank or 312 anti-personnel mines, which are scattered across the terrain like fragmentation or incendiary combat elements. The operation is carried out from afar, without endangering the sappers, and, perhaps, suddenly, in order, say, to forestall enemy units preparing to attack.
The Uragan MLRS includes a ZIL-135LM transport-loading vehicle, which carries one round of ammunition; they reload the heavy 5-meter “cigars” into the guides not manually, as on the Grad, but with the help of an on-board 300-kilogram crane.
Thus, by the beginning of the 80s, SNPP Splav equipped the Armed Forces with the MLRS complex - regimental Grad-1, divisional Grad and army Uragan. The time has come to take on the most powerful installations- Reserve of the High Command.
Their design was completed at the beginning of perestroika - under the leadership of general designer G.A. Denezhkin (A.N. Ganichev died two years earlier). The 12-barreled Smerch is mounted on an eight-wheeled MAZ-543A and fires 300-mm projectiles with a cluster or fragmentation warhead over a range of 20 to 70 km, hitting an area of 672 thousand square meters. Unlike the previous ones, an additional engine is placed behind the warhead of the projectile, with the help of which its short flight to the target can be adjusted in altitude and course.
The transport-loading vehicle is the same MAZ, equipped with a crane for reloading 7.6-meter shells from containers into guides. I asked designer V.I. Medvedev to compare the Smerch with the latest foreign MLRS. He replied that, in fact, he has no analogues yet. The advantage of the American MLRS can be considered the use ready-made packages, which speeds up reloading several times, however, during the recent war in the Persian Gulf, MLRS batteries operated on the same “roll up, shoot and run” principle until the Iraqis spotted them and struck back. It is also convenient that the equipment for topographically linking the launcher to the terrain and fire control is in each cockpit (for us - only in the headquarters vehicle). However, now the “best system in the world” is being hastily improved, in particular, they want to make it longer-range. As for the reloading method, our specialists have worked on it and are not lagging behind in this regard.
By 1985, Splav had established well-established cooperation with other enterprises and factories. Explaining its activities, designer S.V. Kolesnikov said that projectiles and general concept multiple launch rocket installations. The rest is the concern of the subcontractors. So, when working on the Grad, specialists from the Miass Automobile Plant, led by A.I. Yaskin and I.I. Voronin, assembled a package of guides, supports and jacks on the Ural-375, ensuring the stability of the vehicle when firing. The fuel for the engine of the 122-mm projectile was developed by chemists from a research institute under the leadership of B.P. Fomin and N.A. Pikhunova, the fuse device was designed by employees of another research institute headed by I.F. Kornaev and E.L. Minkina. And this was not an easy matter. Sergei Vladimirovich recalled that a conventional artillery fuse is cocked at the moment of firing under the influence of a 5-fold overload. The initial velocity of an MLRS projectile is much lower, and therefore its fuse is much more sensitive and can react to a slight push or blow (say, accidentally dropped). In short, it was necessary to obtain a mechanism that would meet its intended purpose and at the same time be safe to use. The developers coped with the task brilliantly. The task for the fuses for the Hurricane and Smerch was entrusted to another organization, where the team of engineers was led by L.S. Simonyan.
So, the main role Splav belongs to the creation of new MLRS. The Tula people worked superbly - according to V.I. Medvedev, “almost every year they made a new type of projectile!”
At the same time, new technologies were created. For example, the bodies of 220- and 300-mm shells and the guides for them were made in a different way - by rolling out pipes from the inside to the required caliber. And from the very beginning they tried to unify the products as much as possible. We already know: the 122 mm projectile fits 4 different installations, and this makes it much easier to release ammunition and supply troops with it. Combat and transport-loading vehicles are made on the same chassis, already mastered by industry, which made it possible to do without setting up special production. By the way, if after tough tests, with off-road driving and shooting, improvements were made to the chassis, then automakers willingly introduced them into products for the national economy.
It was precisely the well-established cooperation that helped Splav, long before the proclamation of “defense industry restructuring” in 1988, to engage in products for peaceful purposes. When the State Hydrometeorological Committee asked to find a weapon against the hail clouds that regularly destroyed Caucasian vineyards, a 12-barreled “Cloud” installation was created in Tula. After the charge was detonated, initiating harmless rain, the body of the 125-mm projectile was carefully lowered by parachute. Then a similar 82-mm “Sky” installation appeared, and as soon as it came to mass production, the factories charged an outrageous price for it (at that time!). The Hydrometeorological Service turned to another “company” and received the Alazan rocket system, the projectile of which shattered into pieces when it exploded in a cloud. It was this that was adopted by the city fighters, and after them, already in our troubled period, by various kinds of “armed formations,” thereby making the opposite conversion.
Today, Splav specialists have prepared a program for the modernization of domestic PC3Os, which will certainly be of interest to foreign customers.
Do you have relatives abroad?
After the war, several new multiple launch rocket systems appeared in foreign armies... However, in the 50s they came to the conclusion that barrel guns should still be improved. After all, they can hit point targets, their shell consumption is less, and 150- and 203-mm nuclear filling made it possible to “cover” large areas.
The MLRS was remembered only after information appeared about the new generation Soviet multiple launch rocket systems. But it was only by 1969 that the Federal Republic of Germany developed the 36-barreled Lars, which fired 110-mm shells at 18 km. Later, the Bundeswehr acquired an improved Lars-2 with a new wheeled chassis and ammunition with cluster, high-explosive fragmentation and smoke warheads, the firing range of which is up to 25 km. Now the Germans, having united, are preparing high-precision ammunition for the Lars, whose multiple warhead will be equipped with homing equipment.
In the 70s, appeared in the West artillery shells with cluster high-explosive fragmentation combat elements. They turned out to be most effective when firing volleys - then their action is similar to what happens when using tactical nuclear weapons. Taking this circumstance into account, specialists from Germany, England and France set about developing the RS-80 multi-barrel launcher, which they planned to make uniform for their armies, and also sell. However, in 1978, they were involved in the creation of the MLRS, on which the Americans were already working hard. In 1983, the first production samples entered service with the United States.
The MLRS is mounted on the chassis of the American M2 Bradley armored personnel carrier. Ahead, in a sealed armored cabin, there is a crew of three and electronic, automated fire control equipment. Behind the cabin there is an artillery unit - 12 guides in two packages, and the shells are packed (at the factory) in fiberglass, sealed containers with a guaranteed shelf life of 10 years. After the salvo, the crew, using the crew of the transport-loading vehicle, replaces the empty containers with new ones. So far, the MLRS ammunition includes: 227-mm, 3.9-meter shells containing 664 cumulative fragmentation elements and designed for a range of 32 km, and cluster shells, with three homing high-precision warheads, which, after separation from the missile, glide towards targets, hitting them at a distance of 45 km from the firing position. The Germans are preparing a projectile for MLRS, stuffed with 28 mines; it will be launched at 40 km.
 This diagram shows which parts of missiles for MLRS were developed by specialists from the USA, England, Germany and France.
MLRS "Lars" (Germany). Caliber - 110 mm, projectile weight - 36.7 kg, number of guides - 36, firing range - 15 km. | MLRS MLRS (USA countries Western Europe). Caliber - 227 and 236.6 mm, projectile weight - 307 and 259 kg, projectile length - 3937 mm, number of guides - 12, firing range - from 10 to 40 km. Chassis - M2 Bradley armored personnel carrier, crew - 3 people.
|  MLRS MAR-290 (Israel). Caliber - 290 mm. projectile mass - 600 kg, projectile length - 5450 mm, number of guides - 4, firing range - 25 km, crew - 4 people. The chassis is an English-made Centurion tank. MLRS "Astros-2" (Brazil). Caliber - 127, ISO and 300 mm. the mass of the shells is 68, 152 and 595 kg, the length of the shells is 3900, 4200 and 5600 mm. number of guides - 32, 16 and 4. firing range - 9-30. 15-35 and 20-60 km. The chassis is a 10-ton Tektran vehicle.
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In the 80s, MLRS began to be created in other countries. Thus, the Belgians developed a 40-barreled LAU-97 on a self-propelled or towed chassis. From it, standard 70-mm air-to-ground missiles are fired at a distance of up to 9 km.
By 1983, the Brazilians had produced Astros-2, which is equipped with 127, 180 and 300 mm caliber projectiles with cluster high-explosive fragmentation warheads. Accordingly, they are loaded into 32-, 16- and 4-barrel guide packages, and the firing range is 9 - 30, 15 - 35 and 20 - 60 km.
Israel has three MLRS. This is primarily the MAR-350 (the number indicates the caliber), the shells of which have five types of warheads and fly at a distance of up to 75 km. Four MAR-290 tubular guides are installed on the chassis of the Centurion tank; the firing range of missiles with high-explosive fragmentation warheads does not exceed 25 km. The export LAR-160, at the request of customers, is manufactured on the basis of a tank, armored personnel carrier, car or on a trailer, and the package includes 13, 18 or 25 guides.
140-mm shells of the 40-barreled Spanish Teruel are produced with cluster, high-explosive fragmentation or smoke charges, and there are two types of missiles - a regular one, designed to fire at 18 km, and an extended one, with a flight range of 10 km more.
The Italians designed two MLRS. The lightweight Firos-6 with 48 51 mm caliber guides in one package is placed on a jeep-class army vehicle and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 6.5 km. The ammunition load includes shells with fragmentation, fragmentation-incendiary, armor-piercing incendiary, cumulative and illuminating warheads. "Firos-25/30" is designed to fire 8-34 km with 122 mm caliber missiles. Reloading of the 40-barrel package of guides is carried out in the same way as on the MLRS. Let us add that if Firos-30 began to be produced for the Italian army in 1987, then the Firos-25 modification is only for export.
In 1982, the 127-mm, 24-barrel Valkyrie-22 appeared in South Africa. A package of its guides is placed on a rotating frame in the back of a truck, from which they fire at a distance of 8 to 22 km. 6 years later, its lightweight, 12-barreled version “Valkyrie-5” was manufactured with a firing range of no more than 5.5 km.
The military also got their own MLRS South Korea. We are talking about a vehicle-mounted 36-barreled MRR installation, from which 130-mm fragmentation missiles are launched at targets located 10-32 km from the firing position.
Let us also mention the Japanese MLRS “75”. Its package with 30 guides for 131.5 mm missiles is mounted on an armored personnel carrier, the firing range does not exceed 15 km.
Well, in conclusion, we note that in the countries that were part of the organization Warsaw Pact, and their allied states, the Soviet-made Grad MLRS were in service and were produced there under license.
Introduction
The URAGAN multiple launch rocket system is a very old product. I had to remember about it only because Ukraine is actively using the URAGAN MLRS in the war against the Donetsk and Lugansk republics.
Design and development history of the URAGAN MLRS
As usual, it all started with the desire to create a rocket system that could fire at the enemy from a distance excluding a retaliatory strike. In the fifty-first year of the last century, it was adopted rocket launcher BMD-20. It had a missile with a caliber of two hundred millimeters and a length of about three meters. The warhead contained thirty kilograms of explosives. The main disadvantage was the short firing range - only eighteen kilometers. The rocket's non-folding stabilizer caused many problems. Because of this, the launch guides turned out to be very bulky.
Therefore, development began on various versions of the missile with a folding stabilizer and increased range. The caliber of the rocket gradually increased and reached two hundred and twenty millimeters. I don’t know why, but this caliber is organically not pleasant to me. I would make a missile of two hundred and forty millimeters in caliber, since missiles of this caliber were in service with the Soviet army.
The launch guide itself is a pipe with two grooves. The rocket enters these grooves with its protrusions and receives a slight rotational movement upon launch. At first they tried to place twenty launch tubes, but it turned out a little cumbersome. Therefore, the URAGAN MLRS with sixteen launch tubes was adopted for service. The funny thing is that a hurricane cannot shoot during a hurricane. When the wind is more than twenty meters per second, it is prohibited to shoot, apparently they are afraid that the wind will bend the rocket when leaving the guides.
The guides themselves are installed on a ZIL-135LM all-terrain vehicle, which has four drive axles and large-diameter wheels.
The bottom photo shows two jacks that are lowered to the ground before the salvo. These jacks reduce the rocking of the vehicle during a salvo and improve the accuracy of fire.
The machine has two engines with a capacity of one hundred and eighty horsepower, which are located immediately behind the cabin. The fuel reserve is five hundred liters. The fuel is located in the main tank with a capacity of three hundred liters and two spare tanks of one hundred liters each. The fuel reserve is enough for five hundred and seventy kilometers. The maximum speed on the highway is sixty-five kilometers per hour.
The launcher's pointing angles in the vertical plane range from plus five to fifty-five degrees. In the horizontal plane, the guides can be adjusted thirty degrees in both directions.
For loading, a special vehicle is designed, which carries sixteen missiles and has devices for loading the URAGAN MLRS. It is made on the same chassis as launcher.
The rockets have funny basins on their noses. This is a special device for reducing the firing range. It’s just that the URAGAN MLRS physically cannot shoot close. Therefore, devices are put on the rocket to increase its resistance in flight and reduce its firing range. In my opinion, you can forget about accuracy of fire in this case.
If you enlarge the photo, you can see the basin on the nose of the flying rocket.
URAGAN MLRS missiles
The rockets are the most ordinary, compared to even a little primitive. But it was these missiles that were the first to receive cluster warheads.
Rocket 9M27F
The simplest one has a high-explosive warhead. The maximum firing range is thirty-five kilometers. The minimum firing range is ten kilometers. If you put a basin on the nose of the rocket, the minimum firing range will decrease to eight kilometers.
1. rocket length - 4833 millimeters
2. rocket weight - 280 kilograms
3. warhead weight - 99 kilograms
4. explosive weight - 49 kilograms
URAGAN 9M27K MLRS missile
This is the first missile with a cluster warhead. It contained thirty fragmentation combat elements. They were located in five sections of six around the central pipe.
The combat fragmentation element weighs 1.85 kilograms, contains three hundred grams of explosive and has three hundred and fifty ready-made submunitions. Damaging elements are cylinders made of solid steel pressed into a polyethylene sleeve. Thickness of a steel sheet penetrated by a ready-made destructive element:
1. at a distance of 10 meters - 6 millimeters
2. at a distance of 50 meters - 3.5 millimeters
3. at a distance of 100 meters - 2 millimeters
URAGAN MLRS missiles for mining areas.
There are three types of such missiles. Two are intended for laying tank mines and one carries anti-personnel mines.
The warhead of the 9M27K2 missile contains twenty-four PTM-1 anti-tank mines. This is very ancient mine, all she can do is break the tank track.
It’s not very clear from the photo, so I’ll have to explain it with my fingers. The mine has the shape of a prism with three sides. The mines are arranged around the central tube of the warhead, eight in three rows. The disadvantage of a mine is that to detonate it you have to run over it. It does not damage the tank hull. That is, it disables the tank but does not destroy it.
To avoid repetition every time, I’ll tell you, using the example of this warhead, how a cluster warhead works with any mines. Before the salvo, the warhead deployment time is set. After the specified flight time of the rocket, the powder charge is ignited. Due to the increase in pressure, the fuses of the combat elements are cocked and at the same time the deceleration systems are activated. A further increase in pressure ruptures the rocket body and the mines are scattered over a certain area. The deceleration system blocks the fuse for a while so that it does not go off when the mine falls. After a certain period of time, the mine fuse blocking system is switched off and the mine becomes in firing position.
The warhead of the 9M59 missile contains only nine PTM-3 mines.
True, this mine is much more effective than the previous one. It is made in the form of a prism with four planes. All planes of the mine and one of its ends have cumulative notches. The fuze reacts to change magnetic field and works under any point of the tank. If you run over a mine with a caterpillar, the tank will only suffer damage to the chassis. But if a mine explodes under the bottom of the tank, the tank will certainly be destroyed. The mine also explodes when you try to move.
The warhead of the 9M27K3 missile contains three hundred twelve anti-personnel mines PFM-1S.
MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) "Hurricane" intended to destroy manpower, armored and lightly armored vehicles of enemy tank and motorized infantry units on the march and in places of concentration and destruction command posts, military infrastructure facilities and communication centers, remote installation of anti-personnel and anti-tank minefields in combat zones at a distance of 10–35 km.
Taking into account the adoption of the M-21 Field Rocket System in 1963, the Tula State Research Institute of Precision Mechanical Engineering in 1963-1964 proactively carried out search work in order to study the possibility of creating a longer-range and more powerful system in terms of the number of explosives in a salvo, with the help of which it would be possible to decide promptly combat missions at ranges from 10 to 40 km.
In June 1964, the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering submitted for consideration the Project of a field multiple launch rocket system "Hurricane", having a firing range of 35 km. The project proposed a system with high maneuverability, a travel speed of up to 70 km/h, high cross-country ability and the ability to open salvo fire in a short period of time. This system can be used to destroy openly located or hidden in field structures manpower, fire weapons, tanks, nuclear and chemical weapons and other enemy targets and objects at ranges up to 40 km.
Based on the order of the Ministry of Defense Industry, in 1967 they began the research work “Creation of a missile high-precision complex salvo fire "Hurricane". The work was completed in December 1967 with confirmation of the possibility of obtaining the specified characteristics, carrying out theoretical studies, bench tests of engines, separation mechanisms, delayed deployment of the stabilizer, aerodynamic purges and fire with model projectiles. The system was recommended for R&D (development work).
Based on the order of the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering No. 18/94 in 1968, a preliminary design was developed missile complex salvo fire "Hurricane". In September of the same year, the work was recommended for development work.
The Uragan system was supposed to include: combat vehicle, command vehicle, transport vehicle and arsenal equipment. It was proposed to use the following types of projectile warheads: cluster fragmentation, high-explosive (has a specified fragmentation of the body), cassette, intended for remote mining. The decision to develop other types of warheads (incendiary, cumulative, agitation, with special filling) should have been made by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering in the second quarter of 1970 based on the results of the preliminary design.
In the design of the projectiles it was supposed to use one solid propellant for all warheads. jet engine with an unregulated nozzle over the entire operating temperature range. There were no replacement nozzles. It was proposed to use the ZIL-135LM chassis as a base for the MLRS. During the preliminary design, options for a combat vehicle and a transport vehicle on the tracked chassis of the MT-S transporter-tractor were to be worked out.
The number of guides should have been 20 pieces. when using a chassis from ZIL-135LM and 24 pcs. on the MT-S chassis. But the exact number of guides had to be clarified after reviewing the preliminary design. For the transport vehicle, the Kraz-253 wheeled chassis was also considered as a base.
In order to check the activities associated with work to increase the firing range, 30 firings were planned for January-February 1971. with Uragan MLRS shells from a ballistic launcher placed on the ML-20 carriage. Shells were to be supplied with three types of fins:
— knife type, feather thickness 7 mm, opening of the feathers to the longitudinal axis of the projectile at an angle of 90°;
- according to the Grad shell scheme;
— combined (combining the tail of a knife-type projectile and a “Grad”).
In 1972, factory testing was completed, and the system was presented for field testing consisting of:
— unguided rockets with cluster fragmentation (weight 80-85 kg) and high-explosive (weight 100-105 kg) warheads;
- 9P140 combat vehicle mounted on the chassis of a ZIL-135LM vehicle;
— transport-loading vehicle 9T452, installed on the chassis of a ZIL-135LM vehicle;
- arsenal equipment.
During factory testing, we obtained system characteristics that satisfied the main declared tactical and technical requirements. Currently, the Uragan MLRS is in service in the Russian, Kazakh, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Yemeni armies, and also, probably, in the Syrian army.
The Hurricane multiple launch rocket system was widely used in combat operations in Afghanistan. In the early 1980s, it was deployed and used by the Syrian military during the initial stages of the war with Israel. The system was used by federal troops in Chechen Republic. According to open data last time the system was applied Russian troops in 2008 during the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.
The Uragan multiple launch rocket system includes:
— combat vehicle 9P140;
— transport-loading machine 9T452;
— rockets;
— KAUO (complex automated control fire) 1B126 “Kapustnik-B”;
— educational and training facilities;
— topographic survey vehicle 1T12-2M;
— direction-finding meteorological complex 1B44;
— a set of arsenal special equipment and tools 9F381.
The 9P140 combat vehicle was carried on a four-axle chassis of the ZIL-135LMP vehicle with high cross-country ability and an 8x8 wheel arrangement. The artillery unit consists of a package in which 16 tubular guides are assembled, a rotary base with sights and guidance mechanisms, a balancing mechanism, as well as hydraulic and electrical equipment.
Guidance mechanisms equipped with power drives make it possible to direct a package of guides in a vertical plane from 5 to +55 degrees. The horizontal guidance angle is ±30 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the combat vehicle. To increase the stability of the launcher during a shot, there are two supports in the rear part of the chassis, which are equipped with manually driven jacks. Missiles can be carried directly in the guides. The combat vehicle is equipped with a night vision device and communications equipment (radio station R-123M).
Tubular guides - smooth-walled pipes with a U-shaped screw groove, along which the pin of the rocket slides during the shot. Thus, its initial spin is ensured to give the projectile the stability necessary in flight. The projectile, when moving along the trajectory of rotation, is supported by the blades of the drop-down stabilizer, which are installed to the longitudinal axis of the projectile at a certain angle.
A salvo of one combat vehicle covers an area of more than 42 hectares . The main method of shooting is fire from a closed position. It is possible to fire from the cockpit. The crew of the 9P140 combat vehicle is 6 people (4 people per Peaceful time): combat vehicle commander, driver, gunner (senior gunner), crew numbers (3 people).
The combat vehicle has a D726-45 panoramic mechanical sight. The standard PG-1M gun panorama is used as a goniometric and sighting device in the sight.
The launch system for the 9P140 combat vehicle is provided:
— safe operation of the crew that serves the combat vehicle when firing;
— conducting salvo and single fire while in the crew cabin;
— conducting salvo and single fire while in the crew’s shelter at a distance of up to 60 m from the combat vehicle;
— firing in the event of failure of power sources and main units of firing circuits.
The launch system provides the possibility of salvo fire at a constant rate (16 missiles are launched at a rate of 0.5 seconds) and the so-called “ragged” rate of fire (the first 8 missiles are launched at an interval of 0.5 seconds, the remaining missiles at an interval of 2 seconds). Thanks to the use of a “ragged” rate of fire, it can significantly reduce the frequency and amplitude of vibrations of a combat vehicle, and, consequently, improve the accuracy of fire.
To load the launcher, the 9T452 transport-loading vehicle is used, developed on the same chassis as the combat vehicle. Each loading vehicle can transport 16 rockets. The machine provides loading (discharging) without special equipment. preparing a position, including from any transport vehicle, from another transport-loading vehicle or from the ground. The reloading process is mechanized, charging time 15 minutes. Load capacity 300 kg.
A special feature of the four-axle wheeled chassis ZIL-135LMP was the location of the power plant behind the four-seat crew cabin. This power plant consisted of two eight-cylinder V-shaped carburetor engines ZIL-375. At 3200 rpm, each engine produces up to 180 hp. The transmission has an on-board design: the wheels of each side are rotated by an independent engine through a separate gearbox, final drives and transfer cases.
The wheels of the first and fourth axles are steerable, with independent torsion bar suspension with shock absorbers. The wheels of the middle axles are close together, do not have elastic suspension and are rigidly attached to the frame. The machine is equipped centralized system tire pressure regulation. The vehicle has very high maneuverability and speed characteristics. When driving with a full load on the highway maximum speed is 65 km/h, without preliminary preparation it can overcome fords up to 1.2 m deep. The fuel range is 500 km.
The Uragan MLRS ammunition consists of the following missiles:
- 9M27F with high-explosive fragmentation head part;
— 9M27K having a cassette warhead with fragmentation combat elements;
- 9M27S with an incendiary warhead;
- 9M59, 9M27K2, 9M27K3 having a cassette warhead with anti-tank mines;
- 9M51 with a warhead with a volumetric detonating effect (during the war in Afghanistan it showed high efficiency).
Maximum range firing range - 35 km; for destruction at shorter distances, rings are put on the rocket projectile, which slow it down in flight. The flight range of a cluster projectile with a small ring is 11-22 km, and that of an unguided 9M27F rocket is 8-21 km. If a large brake ring is used, the flight range of a cluster projectile is 9–15 km, and that of a 9M27F projectile is 8–16 km.
The complex can be operated in conditions where the enemy uses nuclear, bacteriological, and chemical weapons at different times of the year and day, at air temperatures of -40... +50°C. in different climatic conditions. The Uragan MLRS can be transported by water, rail or air.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Uragan MLRS
:
The mass of the combat vehicle in combat position is 20 tons;
The mass of the combat vehicle without crew and shells is 15.1 tons;
Dimensions in stowed position:
Length – 9.63 m;
Width – 2.8 m;
Height – 3.225 m;
Wheel formula - 8×8
Number of guides – 16 pcs;
Rotation of guides – 240 degrees;
Recharge time – 15 minutes;
Cruising range on the highway – 500 km;
The time for transferring a combat vehicle from traveling to combat position is no more than 3 minutes;
The time to leave the firing position after firing a salvo is less than 1.5 minutes;
Temperature range combat use– from -40 to +50 °C;
Surface wind – up to 20 m/s;
Application altitude above sea level – up to 3000 m;
General characteristics of rockets:
Caliber – 220 mm
Solid fuel weight powder charge– 104.1 kg
Maximum firing range – 35 km;
Minimum firing range – 8 km;
Temperature Range combat use– from -50 to +50 °С.
URAGAN-1M MULTIPLE FIRE SYSTEM
MULTIPLE ROCKET LAUNCHERS “URAGAN-1M”
11.02.2016
One of the artillery formations of the Western Military District (WMD), stationed in the Moscow region, received 8 Uragan multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and 16 transport-loading vehicles as part of the rearmament program. The head of the press service of the Western Military District, Colonel Igor Muginov, told TASS.
“These complexes will significantly increase combat capabilities artillerymen during defensive and offensive operations. MLRS are designed to destroy any group targets, open and covered manpower, lightly armored and armored military equipment, artillery units, tactical missiles, command posts, communication centers and other infrastructure of the mock enemy,” the officer clarified.
24.04.2016
Newest jet systems Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) "Tornado-S" (caliber 300 mm) and "Uragan-1M" (220 mm) are already entering service with the Russian army.
This was announced on Saturday by the head of the department for ensuring state defense orders (GOZ) of arms and military equipment. general purpose and means of interspecific support of the Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the provision of state defense orders, Colonel Mikhail Osyko on the air of the Russian News Service radio station.
“Today, instead of the MLRS “Grad”, “Uragan” and “Smerch”, we are now entering service with new complexes: instead of “Grad” - “Tornado-G”, instead of “Uragan” - “Uragan-1M”, instead of “ Smercha" - "Tornado-S". They work for more high range, they have more powerful rockets"- said Osyko.
The effectiveness of their defeat, according to him, is much higher.
RIA News
Further development of the technologies embedded in the BM-21 Grad MLRS led to the creation of a more powerful 220-mm 9K57 Uragan system, designed to destroy enemy personnel and unarmored equipment, as well as for remote mining of terrain in tactical depth. The Hurricane system was developed by the State Research and Production Enterprise Splav in the early 1970s. and put into service in 1975 Soviet army. The system was used in combat operations in Afghanistan and in former USSR. Currently, it is in service with the armies of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Syrian Armed Forces have a certain number of MLRS of this type.
The Uragan MLRS includes a launcher (combat vehicle), 220-mm unguided rockets, a fire control system, a transport-loading vehicle and training facilities.
The design of the Uragan MLRS tubular guides essentially repeats the design of the BM-21 MLRS guides. They are smooth-walled pipes with a screw U-shaped groove along which the pin of a fired unguided projectile slides. This ensures the initial spin of the projectile to give it the necessary stability in flight. Along the flight path, the rotation of the projectile is supported by the blades of the drop-down stabilizer, installed at a certain angle to the longitudinal axis of the projectile.
The following 220 mm unguided rockets are used:
High-explosive fragmentation projectile 9M27F with a monoblock warhead weighing 99 kg (projectile weight 280.4 kg, length 4843 mm);
9M27K projectile with a cassette warhead weighing 89.5 kg, equipped with 30 high-explosive fragmentation combat elements weighing 1.85 kg each (projectile weight 271 kg, length 5178 mm);
9M27K2 projectile with a cassette warhead loaded with 24 anti-tank mines;
9M27KZ projectile with a cassette warhead loaded with 312 anti-personnel mines.
In addition, missile warheads may contain chemical substances, incendiary warheads and a volume-detonating mixture.
All types of projectiles have a solid propellant jet engine (ballista propellant).
Shooting is carried out in single shots and in volleys. The duration of the salvo is 20 s. One salvo can hit enemy personnel over an area of 430 thousand m2. The maximum firing range is 34 km, the minimum is 8.5 km.
The launcher is loaded using a transport-loading vehicle designed on the same wheeled chassis as the launcher. Each such vehicle carries 16 missiles. The reloading process is mechanized, its duration is 15 minutes.
A special feature of the four-axle wheeled chassis of the ZIL-135LMP vehicle is the location of the power plant behind the four-seat crew cabin. Power point consists of two V-shaped eight-cylinder carburetor engines ZIL-375. Each of these engines at 3200 rpm develops a maximum power of 180 hp.
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