"Grad": MLRS firing range. Firing range "Grad" and "Hurricane"

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The firing range of the Grad and Hurricane makes it possible to carry out tasks to defeat enemy equipment and manpower, both in open areas and in natural shelters. The salvo of the launcher will cover lightly armored vehicles, as well as mortar and artillery crews in places of concentration.

These products of the domestic military industry will be discussed in the article.

History

In the fifties, NPO Splav implemented the concept of pulling hard shell shells. The idea made it possible to come to the creation of high-power shells, and later it was decided to implement a full-fledged weapon system for the new ammunition.

Alexander Ganichev was appointed to lead the project in 1960. Two years later, the first tests took place, and a year later (in 1963) the complex entered service.

It hasn't been long since the developerscomplex saw the possibility of creating a more powerful combat unit. The proposal for the release of the MLRS "Hurricane" was first made in 1964

After a number of improvements, by 1975 the complex entered service with the troops. Basically, the changes concerned the caliber of the projectile: at first, the option of 152 or 180 mm was considered, but in the end it was raised to 220 mm.

TTX Grada

From the moment it was adopted, it uses 122 mm caliber shells. Ammunition in 40 shells. The guide package is adjustable, the maximum elevation angle is 55°, so the aiming is carried out on the target.

Minimum Grad firing range:

• high-explosive fragmentation munitions 4 km;
• cluster shells 2.5 km;
• guided missiles 1.6 km.

Each type of shell has its own characteristics, it is used depending on the tasks.

Maximum firing range of Grad MLRS:

• high-explosive fragmentation missiles 40 km;
• 33 km cluster bombs;
• guided projectiles 42 km.

The calculation of the combat vehicle consists of 3 people, and the coverage area with active shelling reaches 142 km².

Since the adoption of the sample for service, about 3 million rockets of various types have rolled off the assembly line.

TTX "Hurricane"

The firing range of Grad and its descendant varies: from 10 to 35 km, depending on the type of projectile. High-explosive fragmentation, cluster andthermobaric.

The machine is equipped with a package of guides in the amount of 16 pieces, which are fully fired with a quick salvo in 20 seconds. The mass of each shell is 280 kg, caliber 220 mm.

The crew consists of four people.

Application

Due to the high range of fire, "Grad" and "Hurricane" were used during the fighting in Afghanistan in the period 1979 to 1989.

Their use by the Azerbaijani side in the Karabakh conflict has been recorded. The installations were used in the battle for the Omar Pass - the bloodiest clash of the incident. In February 1994, thanks to the firing range of the Grad, the 130th brigade was defeated while trying to go north through a mountain pass. About one and a half thousand enemy soldiers fell in battle, a few survivors from the 130th were captured.

Both installations were used in the first and second Chechen campaigns. Moreover, in the first, several Grads were captured by Chechen fighters and used against federal troops. For example, the battle for Dolinskoye, one of the first major clashes. As a result, 6 Russian soldiers were killed, and three installations were destroyed. By the end of the first campaign, not a single MLRS remained with Dudayev's forces.

In the five-day war in South Ossetia in 2008, both systems were used.

"Grad" and "Hurricane" were used by both sides in the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine. Due to the fact that the country is a post-Soviet space, the presence of combat complexes does not raise questions.

The Syrian military used both installations during the civil war, in particular,during the liberation of Palmyra.

Verdict

The military conflicts listed above once again prove how simple and high-quality domestic development is. The firing range of Grad and Hurricane allows you to perform any combat missions in various conditions.

Regardless of the climate, the season and the situation in the country. Ease of operation allows you to quickly deploy a multiple launch rocket system in position and fire a salvo at the intended target, and then change position.

Artillery barrage is in many ways similar to the work of a sniper: after each volley, a change of position follows. Otherwise, a response projectile may arrive along a calculated flight path.

The military industry is developing with great strides. The production of Grads ended in 1988, and Hurricanes in 1991. However, they are still in service, and there are no plans to stop operation.

The complexes are used by the armies of several countries of the world, the machine has participated in many conflicts and has proven its effectiveness more than once.

Comparing the list of operators, "Hurricane" is less popular. This once again proves that the range of the Grad system played a decisive role when used by the troops of the USSR and Russia, as well as by countries that came from the post-Soviet space.

It is to be hoped that any weapon will be a deterrent and not a doomsday machine.