BM-21 Grad

BM-21 "Grad"
A Russian BM-21-1 on display in Saint Petersburg in May 2009
TypeMultiple rocket launcher
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1963–present
Used bySee operators
Wars
Production history
DesignerSplav State Research and Production Enterprise
Designed1963
ManufacturerSplav State Research and Production Enterprise
Produced1963–present
No. built8000 + [citation needed]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications (9K51)
Mass13.71 tonnes (30,225 lb)
Length7.35 m (24 ft 1 in)
Barrel length3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Width2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Height3.09 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew3
Caliber122 mm
Barrels40
Rate of fire2 rounds/s
Muzzle velocity690 m/s (2,264 ft/s)
Effective firing range0.5–52 km
SightsPG-1M panoramic telescope
EngineV8 gasoline ZiL-375
180 hp (130 kW)
Suspension6×6 wheeled
Operational
range
405 km (251 mi)
Maximum speed 75 km/h (47 mph)

The BM-21 "Grad" (Russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit. 'hailstorm') is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union.[11] The system and the M-21OF rocket[12] were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-Soviet border conflict.[13] BM stands for boyevaya mashina (Russian: боевая машина – combat vehicle), and the nickname grad means "hail". The complete system with the BM-21 launch vehicle and the M-21OF rocket is designated as the M-21 field-rocket system and is more commonly known as a Grad multiple rocket launcher system.

In NATO countries the system, either the complete system or the launch vehicle only, was initially known as the M1964. Several other countries have copied the Grad or developed similar systems. In Russian service its intended replacement is the 9A52-4 Tornado. Many similar 122 mm MLRS systems are made by different countries based on the BM-21 Grad.

  1. ^ a b c d Prenatt 2016, p. 30.
  2. ^ Zabecki, David T. (May 2011). "Rockets and Rocket Launchers". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2 ed.). p. 988. ISBN 978-1-85109-960-3. The most significant [Soviet rocket] was the 9M22M, one of the Katyusha class of 122-mm rockets.
  3. ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (2003). Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2): The wars of 1973 to the present. Hong Kong: Concord Publications. p. 4. ISBN 962-361-613-9.
  4. ^ Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien (October 2016). "La guerre du Kagera". Batailles et Blindés (in French). No. 75. Caraktère. pp. 72–81. ISSN 1765-0828.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Afghan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Sudan - Global trade, local impact: Arms Transfers to all Sides in the Civil War in Sudan" (PDF). Human Rights Watch Report. 10 (4): 24. August 1998.
  7. ^ Albin-Lackey, Christopher (8 December 2008). "So Much to Fear: War Crimes and the Devastation of Somalia". Human Rights Watch.
  8. ^ https://archive.today/20241021150642/https://saraya.ps/post/43072/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B5-%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5
  9. ^ Yemeni fighters have fired at least 16 Grad missiles into Saudi territories. YouTube (20 July 2015). Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  10. ^ Noir, War. "#Morocco 🇲🇦: "#Polisario Front" carried out a rocket strike on Moroccan Forces in the town of Al-Mahbes, Western #Sahara. Group seemingly used a 9P132 'Grad-P' single-tube rocket launcher (placed on a truck) with 122mm 9M22M HE-Frag rockets". x.com.
  11. ^ Splav 122 mm BM-21 multiple rocket launcher family (Russian Federation), Multiple rocket launchers, Jane's Armour and Artillery.
  12. ^ 122 mm BM-21 Grad-series rockets (Russian Federation), Artillery rockets Archived 23 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Jane's Ammunition Handbook
  13. ^ Prenatt, Jamie (16 June 2016). Katyusha: Russian Multiple Rocket Launchers 1941–Present. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-4728-1087-8.