60 years ago, the USSR Council of Ministers published decree No. 578-236 on the creation of combat and transport vehicles for multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) 9K51 Grad. Specialists of Novgorod SKB-203 (now - JSC "NPP" Start "named after A. I. Yaskin. - RT ) were assigned to carry out this project .
The company had to develop a wheeled mobile platform on which it would be possible to place a launcher with at least 30 guides for firing missiles.
"A very formidable weapon"
It is worth noting that at that time the Soviet industry was already working on the creation of the Grad, but previous attempts to manufacture machines with the specified weight and size characteristics were unsuccessful.
Therefore, back in the late 1950s, the chief designer of SKB-203 Alexander Yaskin decided to reduce the size of the ammunition, making the tail stabilizers of the missiles folding. Thus, as conceived by the engineer, it would be possible to increase the number of guides.
However, SKB-203 did not specialize in the modernization of missile weapons. The partner of Novgorod engineers was the Tula NII-147 (now - NPO "ALLAV" named after AN Ganichev - RT ). Work on improving shells for the Grad was led by the chief designer of this enterprise Alexander Ganichev. The efforts of specialists exceeded the expectations of the USSR Ministry of Defense - SKB-203 and NII-147 managed to produce a self-propelled artillery system with 40 guides.
In the spring of 1962, in the Leningrad Military District passed the state polygon-military tests of the MLRS. March 28, 1963 "Grad" was adopted by the Soviet army. On November 7, 1964, new artillery systems were shown to the public at a parade on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the October Revolution.
In 1965, serial production of all Grad elements was established in the USSR. The production of combat and transport-loading vehicles was deployed at the Perm Plant them. Lenin (now - PJSC Motovilikhinsky Plants. - RT ). Now, as in the Soviet years, the artillery system is located on the Ural-375D and Ural-4320 chassis, but in modernized variations.
- The process of loading "Grad"
- © Vitaliy Ankov / RIA News
In a RT commentary, the founder of the Military Russia portal, Dmitry Kornev, noted that by creating the Grad, the Soviet Union solved the problem of accurate and more long-range destruction of group targets, which has existed since the advent of the legendary Katyusha self-propelled mortar.
“Soviet scientists accumulated their experience and created an excellent machine in terms of impact power. 122 mm caliber ammunition is still a very formidable weapon. On the battlefield, Grad actually replaced several howitzers. With one salvo, one machine of this system could destroy an entire enemy unit, ”Kornev emphasized.
"The most common in the world of MLRS"
The Grad complex is designed to defeat manpower, firepower, armored vehicles, warehouses and other targets in the near tactical depth. The maximum firing range of the Soviet MLRS was 21 km.
The peculiarity of the Grad is that within 20 seconds it can release the entire ammunition consisting of 40 missiles, which cover with fire an area of 15-20 hectares. Such weapons are considered extremely effective if you want to destroy the accumulation of enemy forces in a certain location.
In an interview with RT, the editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky emphasized that the Soviet Grad turned out to be an extremely powerful, easy-to-use and reliable means of areal destruction. The machine performed tasks almost flawlessly in any climatic and geographical conditions.
“In a short period of time, Grad gained wide popularity all over the world. An important role was played by the speed of training of soldiers. However, despite the apparent simplicity, it is important to understand the specifics of this weapon. The use of "Grad" should be sudden for the enemy. Only then will it become a serious weapon in any war, ”Murakhovsky believes.
At the same time, he clarified that the MLRS should be used for group purposes outside settlements, since there are risks of civilian deaths.
Dmitry Kornev adheres to a similar point of view. According to him, the use of Grad in urban conditions "borders on a war crime."
The main purpose of the MLRS - defensive. As an example, Kornev cited the Soviet-Chinese clash on Damansky Island in March 1969, when the Grada battle baptism took place. The use of MLRS and the subsequent infantry attack of the USSR Armed Forces forced the PRC soldier to retreat from previously occupied lines. Subsequently, the Grads were used in the Afghan campaign (1979-1989) against the Mujahideen and many other armed conflicts.
- Grads fire on exercises
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The domestic artillery system is still in service with dozens of countries. In addition to the republics of the former Soviet Union, Grad is used in various modifications in Poland, Hungary, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, India, China, and Venezuela.
“I’m not afraid to say that the Soviet Grad, taking into account the most diverse and bizarre modifications, is the most common in the world of MLRS. In a number of countries it is produced under license, other states used Grad as a platform for creating their own similar weapons. In any case, this complex is still an inexpensive, extremely effective and reliable means of destruction, ”Kornev explained.
Russian engineers constantly improved the Grad, increasing mainly the range, power and accuracy of the defeat. Today, the Russian army is equipped with a deeply modernized version of the Soviet complex, called the Tornado-G.
“A feature of the upgraded version of the 122-mm RZSO Grad is increased firing efficiency, more powerful ammunition, the presence of automated guidance, aiming, topographic and navigation systems. Modern communications equipment has been installed in the combat vehicle, which allows for uninterrupted and protected radio communication with the combat control vehicle, ”the Tornado-G capabilities described in the materials of the Russian Defense Ministry.
“Let's fly even further”
According to Viktor Murakhovsky, the main differences between the Tornado-G and the Soviet base model are a new ammunition and an automated gun guidance system.
“In the Tornado-G, there is an automatic aiming from the battery command post. This dramatically reduces the process of firing preparation, allows you to perform a fire raid mode with position changes. We arrived, turned around within one minute, made a volley, curled up, left, ”the expert said.
The updated Grad is capable of firing at ranges of up to 42 km. According to the NGO “SPLAV”, the MLRS is equipped with several types of 122-mm ammunition that can effectively perform tasks in a modern theater of operations (theater of operations).
In particular, the Tornado-G arsenal includes an unguided 9M521 missile with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and 9M522 ammunition with a detachable high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a range of up to 40 km and 37.5 km, respectively.
In addition, the calculations of the upgraded Grad can fire 9M217 shells with self-aiming warheads, 9M218 missiles with cumulative-fragmentation warheads and 9M28F high-explosive fragmentation munitions. Specialists of NPO “SPLAV” associate further improvement of the MLRS with the creation of controlled weapons.
“Perhaps, almost the ultimate capabilities of Grad have been achieved, except for what the whole world is doing - if you use some aerodynamic knowledge and make Grad manageable, which is easy, we will fly even further,” said in an interview earlier RIA Novosti NPO General Designer Nikolay Makarovets.
According to experts, another direction in improving the Grad family of vehicles could be an increase in the ammunition load, an increase in the automation of arms control processes, a reduction in the time for loading ammunition and deployment on the ground.
Grad is one of the most successful combat vehicles of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Moreover, despite the respectful age, this MLRS has a serious modernization potential, as can be seen in the example of the Tornado-G. This is a classic Soviet “Grad”, equipped with modern digital equipment and improved ammunition. The need of our army in such a machine, as before, is great, ”concluded Kornev.