On March 28, 1963, by the decree of the Government of the USSR, the Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) was adopted by the Soviet army, which became one of the symbols of the domestic arms school.
Serial production of the self-propelled complex was launched in January 1964. The scale of the production of "Grad" during the Cold War was unusually high. Only at the Motovilikhinsky plants (Perm) about 3 thousand combat vehicles and more than 3 million shells for them were manufactured. Abroad, the Soviet system and its modifications were produced in China, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Romania and South Africa.
As stated in the materials of Rostec, a modern manufacturer of Grad, for six decades of operation, mlRS was a participant in numerous armed conflicts and demonstrated high combat effectiveness.
In a comment to RT, a graduate of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Major General of the Reserve Vladimir Bogatyrev, explained that the Grad gained immense popularity for its unpretentiousness, high mobility and firepower, which allows it to cause significant damage to the enemy.
"Grad" is a weapon of area action, the equal of which for a long time was not. This type of MLRS moves quickly, deploys on the ground and is guaranteed to cover large areas with shells. In all respects, in terms of caliber, requirements for such weapons, the Grad has become a very effective means of destruction, "Bogatyrev emphasized.
"Under heavy fire"
The development of the "Grad" was carried out by the team of the Tula NII-147 (later - NPO "Splav" named after Ganichev) under the leadership of Soviet designers Gennady Denezhkin and Alexander Ganichev.
Initially, MLRS was developed on an initiative basis, but soon the project found the support of the State Committee for Defense Equipment and the government of the USSR. Tactical and technical requirements for the new combat vehicle were approved by the Soviet authorities in October 1960.
In a comment to RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal, Dmitry Kornev, explained that by creating the Grad, the military-political leadership of the USSR intended to get a qualitatively new weapon that helps to crack the front line of the enemy's defense.
"The main advantage of MLRS is that, unlike barrel artillery, a large error in accuracy is allowed due to the area principle of destruction. During the Cold War, our country needed a mobile and powerful combat vehicle for sowing large areas with shells. She, in fact, became "Grad", - said Kornev.
A similar point of view was expressed by Vladimir Bogatyrev. According to the Major General of the Reserve, with the correct topographic reference, the Grad is able to effectively hit enemy positions with relatively inexpensive unguided missiles.
"MLRS, at least during the Cold War, in principle, were not intended to defeat individual objects in a high-precision version. Their task is to destroy "area targets". "Grad" fully corresponded to this approach of combat use of MLRS, "said Bogatyrev.
As stated in the materials of Rostec, when creating the Grad, Tula designers could not rely on established standards and methods. On the one hand, this complicated the work, and on the other hand, it stimulated the search for innovative solutions.
- Missile launches of several Grad MLRS combat vehicles
- © Ministry of Defense of Russia
"Shells for the new MLRS for the first time in the world began to be made cold stamping - like the famous Tula samovars. Another revolutionary solution was the opening stabilizer of the projectile. These and other ideas used in Grad laid the foundation for the subsequent development of MLRS not only in the USSR, but throughout the world, "the state corporation's website reports.
The new MLRS received 40 tubular guides to accommodate a similar number of unguided missiles of 122 mm caliber. A battalion of 18 Grad vehicles in 20 seconds could launch more than 47 tons of ammunition at a range of up to 20 km.
The mass of the combat vehicle was 13.7 tons, the maximum firing range was 21 km, the shell weight was 66 kg, the maximum speed of movement on the highway was 75 km / h. The Grad artillery system was located on the Ural-375D and Ural-4320 chassis.
The Soviet combat vehicle received its baptism of fire in 1969 during the conflict with Chinese troops around Damansky Island. It was the use of Grad that decided the outcome of that confrontation and forced Beijing to sit down at the negotiating table with Moscow.
The Soviet MLRS became an invariable companion of the ground forces of our country. In addition, domestic designers created modifications of the complex for the Navy ("Grad-M"), for the Airborne Forces ("Grad-V") and for infantrymen ("Grad-P"), which was used in the guerrilla war in Vietnam.
A modern version of the MlRS Denezhkin-Ganichev is the Tornado-G. This combat vehicle is characterized by an increased range of destruction, improved maneuverability, survivability and increased firepower.
"Its survivability on the battlefield, according to experts, has increased almost fivefold. " Tornado-G has a modern navigation system that allows you to receive and process signals from satellites, which makes it more maneuverable. In the event of a threat, MLRS can quickly change position, and long before all the shells fired by the system reach the target, "the Rostec website reports.
- "We crush the enemy": how Russian "Grads" work in difficult weather conditions
The materials of the state corporation say that the Tornado-G received three new universal projectiles, each of which is several times more effective than soviet counterparts.
The modernized "Grad" also received high marks from the Ministry of Defense. According to the military department of the Russian Federation, the automated fire control system "Tornado-G" guides the guides without the crew leaving the cockpit. Along with this, the MLRS is capable of firing from unprepared positions in an automated mode.
In turn, according to experts, the main advantage of the Tornado-G is the ability to shoot without a topographic reference. Thanks to more modern on-board electronics, the combat vehicle "understands" where it is located. This means that the current modification of the Grad is quickly brought into a state of combat readiness and more accurately hits targets.
Currently, "Tornado-G" and "Grad" are used in the SVO zone. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, combat vehicles are firing at camouflaged positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armored vehicles, manpower in shelters, ammunition depots. Also, MLRS are used for barrage fire on the routes of possible withdrawal or enemy offensive.
"Volleys of high-explosive and fragmentation shells of rocket systems mercilessly hit the enemy's positions. The shock wave and fragments, which fly hundreds of meters, destroy the identified firing positions, fortifications, armored military equipment, "the materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation say.
At the same time, the crews of combat vehicles are trying to constantly change positions and act as quickly as possible. For example, the cycle of combat use of the "Grad" is two to three minutes. UAV operators are responsible for reconnaissance of targets and adjustment of fire on them.
"The mere salvo of this combat vehicle is often enough to complete a combat mission. And under the heavy fire of rocket launchers, the enemy is completely forced to retreat, freeing the way for the advancing Russian troops, "the Russian Defense Ministry notes.
On the way to automation
According to Vladimir Bogatyrev, the experience of the SVO allows us to conclude that the Grad is still an effective weapon for hitting area targets. At the same time, the major general of the reserve noted that the line of combat contact for the domestic MLRS does not always have "suitable work".
"The conflict in Ukraine is characterized by the widespread use of small mobile units. This is due to the fact that the accumulations of troops and equipment near the front are very quickly detected by reconnaissance and are hit by the same Grads," Bogatyrev explained.
According to the expert, the experience of the SVO suggests the need to modernize both Soviet combat vehicles and the Tornado-G. From the expert's point of view, first of all, domestic MLRS should receive modern digital electronics, which will minimize the cycle between detecting targets and striking them.
This approach to the possible modernization of the Grad family is shared by Dmitry Kornev.
- Stacking of 122-mm missiles in the guides of the Grad combat vehicle
- © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The Tornado-G is a very effective machine, but as far as I can tell, there are not many of them in the troops, and in the SVO zone, mainly Soviet Grads are used. With all the advantages, they risk becoming quite archaic weapons if they are not adapted to the realities of the modern theater of operations, "says Kornev.
According to the interlocutor of RT, in addition to new electronics, Russian designers can integrate into the "Grads" modern means of automating guidance on targets, simplify the loading of missiles and the installation of a package with guides at the desired angle.
In addition, the expert admits that in the process of modernization, the number of guides can be reduced, which will make the Grad a more mobile and accurate means of destruction.
"Over time, almost all the manipulations that are now manually carried out by the Grad calculation make sense to automate, and instead of 40 guides, use compact modules with fewer missiles that will be easily and quickly replaced on the battlefield. Grad has a great modernization potential, which has yet to be realized by a generation of modern designers," Kornev summed up.