BM-21 Grad Multiple Rocket Launcher

The BM-21 122 mm multiple rocket launcher (MRL) system entered service with the
Soviet Army in 1963 to replace the aging 140 mm BM-14 system. It consists of a Ural-
375D six-by-six truck chassis fitted with a bank of 40 launch tubes arranged in a
rectangular shape that can be turned away from the unprotected cab. The vehicle is
powered by a water-cooled V-8 180 hp gasoline engine, has a maximum road speed of 75
km/h, road range of up to 750 kilometers, and can cross fords up to 1.5 m deep. The
original vehicle together with supporting equipment (including the re-supply truck 9T254
with 60 rockets) is referred to by the GRAU index 9K51; the launcher itself has the
industrial index of 2B5. In 1976, the BM-21 was mounted on the newer Ural-4320 six-
by-six army truck.

The crew of five men can emplace the system and have it ready to fire in three minutes.
The crew can fire the rockets from the cab or from a trigger at the end of a 64-meter
cable. All 40 rockets can be away in as little as 20 seconds, but can also be fired
individually or in small groups in several-second intervals. A PG-1M panoramic
telescope with K-1 collimator can be used for sighting. The BM-21 can be packed up and
ready to move in two minutes, which can be necessary when engaged by counter-battery
fire. Reloading is done manually and takes about 10 minutes.
Each 2.87-meter rocket is slowly spun by rifling in its tube as it exits, which along with
its primary fin stabilization keeps it on course. Rockets armed with high
explosive/fragmentation, incendiary, or chemical warheads can be fired 20 kilometers.
Newer high explosive and cargo (used to deliver anti-personnel or antitank mines)
rockets have a range of 30 kilometers. Warheads weigh around 20 kilograms, depending
on the type.

The relative accuracy of this system and the number of rockets each vehicle is able to
quickly bring to bear on an enemy target make it effective, especially at shorter ranges.
One battalion of eighteen launchers is able to deliver 720 rockets in a single volley.
However, the system cannot be used in situations that call for pinpoint precision.