One of the symbols of local conflicts that flared up after the collapse of the Soviet Union in many territories that were previously part of it was the Grad installation. Photos of this missile and artillery system, published in newspapers and on the pages of online publications, are sometimes issued as evidence of the Russian military presence or are presented as illustrations of paintings of fierce fighting. In any case, if BM-21 is used, good is not enough. The effectiveness of this weapon is very high.
Katyusha and the development of the SZO
In our country, salvo launchers appeared earlier than in the rest of the world. The Jet Research Institute patented a multi-barrel missile-firing launcher back in 1938. Since then, work on improving the MLRS has been carried out in the USSR almost continuously, having received special development during the Great Patriotic War. "Katyusha" - the legendary guards mortars - were the military formations of the regimental echelon, but their impact power could be compared with the divisions. Volley principle, in contrast to firing with single rockets, took root in the troops for a very simple reason. From the late thirties to the mid-fifties, missiles were mostly uncontrolled, moving along a normal ballistic trajectory and inferior to artillery weapons in terms of accuracy. Fuel burned out not evenly enough, momentum fluctuations arose, which led to large dispersion values. Only a massive application could mitigate this drawback, as a result of which areas with everything that was on them at that moment were affected. The Second World War was in the form of collisions of large quantities of manpower and equipment. Based on the experience gained from 1939 to 1945, the concept of volley fire systems created in the subsequent period in the USSR was formulated. Its bright expression was BM (combat vehicle), which has a low-expressive index of "21", it is also the installation "Grad". The radius of defeat has become much larger, compared with the Katyusha, firepower has increased many times.
Previous systems
At the end of the thirties, the Soviet military leadership was somewhat suspicious of the idea of multiple launch rockets, as well as rocket technology in general. The usual army conservatism, combined with confidence in the time-tested types of weapons, affected. Nevertheless, many enthusiasts of a new type of ammunition managed to break the resistance, and soon after the German attack the Katyush divisions took up firing positions, introducing confusion and panic into the ranks of the aggressors. The successful use of SZO during the hostilities in Europe and then in Asia (against the Kwantung group of Japanese troops) finally strengthened the Stalinist leadership in the idea of the advisability of further development of this area of military equipment. In the first half of the 50s, new designs were developed and adopted. BM-14 had a caliber of RS 140 mm and could hit area targets at ten-kilometer distances. The BM-24 fired even further, at 16,800 m. It seemed that it was difficult to create anything more perfect, especially considering that the artillery in general was a rather conservative military branch, with a technical base that was not as dependent on scientific progress as aviation or the navy. Guns and howitzers last for decades without undergoing design changes, and this does not surprise anyone. Nevertheless, according to the great designer A.N. Gonichev, much could still be done. In May 1960, it was he who received an important government task. The performance characteristics of the Grad installation, the creation of which he was assigned to, should significantly exceed the parameters of the BM-14 and BM-24, which were already in service.
Tasks and allies
At first, they did not plan to use anything revolutionary in the new design. General principles have generally been formed. It was assumed that the projectile would be solid fuel, this was dictated by the massive use in the troops and the peculiarities of storage conditions in warehouses and in the frontline in the event of a military conflict. The accuracy of the Grad installation could be improved by using tubular guides that more rigidly set the motion vector during launch and at the initial stage of the flight. The rotational moment given to the projectile for the same purpose of reducing dispersion arose not only due to stabilizers positioned at an angle to the flight line, but also due to special grooves-guides cut inside the barrel, similar to how it was implemented in artillery pieces. Other factors that worsened the shooting parameters should also be fought, not only by the forces of the lead design organization, but also by allies. The missile launcher created the SKB-203, the research institute No. 6 was responsible for the fuel cells, and the GSKB-47 developed the warheads. The name "mailboxes" even today says little to anyone, and then, in 1960, even more so. In an atmosphere of secrecy, all weapons were created, including the Grad installation. Photos of prototypes were stored in special folders with strict vultures. All personnel related to the creation of a new SZO gave appropriate non-disclosure subscriptions. For many years, none of the workers in defense enterprises could travel abroad, even to socialist countries.
Test
At the very end of 1961, the first pre-production Grad multiple-launch rocket launcher was ready for testing, then another. The main missile and artillery directorate of the Soviet Army prepared the area of the training ground (Leningrad Region) for the planned launches of 650 missiles and further running tests along a route of 10 thousand kilometers by spring. It is not known whether the rush was to blame, but the running gear could not stand the full mileage, it was able to drive only 3300 km, after which the frame broke. The chassis had to be replaced, but, as it turned out, the problems were not random, but were systemic. Under the influence of dynamic loads, two bridges bent and the driveshaft failed. However, these troubles did not interfere with state acceptance. In the test conditions, an excess running range was laid. Grad installations from 1964 began to enter military units.
Guidance mechanism
Of course, the main indicators in this system of volley fire were indicators confirmed by test firing, and not driving performance. Nobody was going to drive these SZOs from Moscow to Vladivostok, there are other means for delivery, and the trouble-free mileage of more than three thousand kilometers eloquently said that the chassis, by and large, were not made so badly, although they needed in some gain. The main unit of the machine is the warhead, consisting of forty (10 in a row) guide tubes, 3 meters long and with an inner diameter of 122.4 mm. The firing range of the Grad installation depends on the inclination of the barrel unit relative to the horizontal plane, the angle of which is set by the lifting device. This unit is located in the center of the base and, by its principle, represents a mechanical gearbox that includes two kinematic pairs: a gear shaft and gear for setting the direction and a worm gear, with the help of which the desired elevation is created. The guidance mechanism is driven by an electric drive or manually.
Manufacturing Innovation
The performance characteristics of the Grad installation are directly related to the characteristics of the missiles with which it fires.
As the main ammunition for the BM-21 was planned high-explosive fragmentation projectile 9M22. Its production was entrusted to the factory number 176, which in 1964 was supposed to produce 10 thousand pieces. However, the enterprise could not cope with the task, unexpected difficulties and unforeseen difficulties arose. During the first quarter, the plant managed to produce 650 missiles and 350 warheads for them. Justification for the violation of the schedule could be an innovation that takes time to implement, but improves the technology in the future. At the insistence of the General Designer Alexander Ganichev, a method for manufacturing cases by the method of template drawing from sheet steel was introduced, similar to that used in the manufacture of artillery shells. Previously, missiles were cut on radial machines from solid billets, which led to high metal consumption and unnecessary labor costs. Another innovative approach was applied in the method of fastening folding projectile stabilizers, which the Grad installation fires. The radius of destruction of 9M22 is slightly greater than 20 km. Limit distances are not optimal in terms of accuracy. Spread at extreme points is maximum. Actually, the minimum firing range of the Grad installation, set at 5 km, is conditional, it is possible to fire within a radius of one and a half kilometers, but with a big risk, you can get to the wrong place, which, with the enormous destructive power of ammunition, can cause very unpleasant consequences.
The “exhaust” technology paid off. The missile body really got lighter. Production became cheaper, but this was not the main achievement. The firing range of the Grad installation has increased significantly. With the same mass of the projectile, it could hit overseas targets.
Rocket launch
In the history of local conflicts, there were episodes when shells intended for BM-21 were launched from slate sheets placed on bricks to give the desired angle. In these cases, of course, the accuracy of the hit was low. The Grad installation cannot be replaced by auxiliary means. Photos of Middle Eastern terrorists trying to harm the opposite side with improvised devices are designed primarily to exert psychological pressure.
The 9M22 missile weighs 66 kg with a length of 2870 mm. The fighting compartment has a mass of 18.4 kg and contains 6.4 kg of TNT. Trigger occurs when electropulse ignition fuse. Solid fuel consists of two pieces with a total mass of 20.4 kg. Undermining the warhead is carried out by an MRV (MRV-U) fuse, which automatically becomes a combat platoon after a rocket takes off at 200-400 meters. The projectile leaves the barrel at a speed of 50 m / s, then accelerates to 700 m / s. The firing range of the Grad installation can be artificially limited with the help of brake rings (large or small). In 1963, NII-147 specialists created a fragmentation-chemical variant of the projectile, which received the designation "Watering Can" (9M23), which has the same flight characteristics as 9M22.
Normal 9M22 and Watering Can
Tests have shown how powerful the Grad installation is. The area of destruction with a full salvo is 1050 square meters. m when struck by manpower, and 840 square meters. m for armored vehicles.
Further development of the hardware of the projectile affected fuses. "Watering can" can be equipped with them in two versions (mechanical and radar). Any high-explosive ammunition becomes much more effective if it is detonated at the optimum height, including the projectile that the Grad installation fires. The area of destruction by fragments and toxic substances during initiation 30 meters from the surface increases sharply, however, the use of a radar fuse reduces range by 1600 meters.
Different types of ammunition for the Grad
During the production period of the BM-21, work was constantly ongoing to improve existing ammunition and create new (special) ones. They can be charged with any Grad installation. 3M16 shells have a cluster head, 9M42 illuminate a terrain within a radius of 500 m for a day and a half, with daylight brightness, 9M28K scatter anti-personnel mines (3 each), self-destructing within 16-24 hours. RS 9M519 creates stable local radio interference.
The BM-21 mainly uses simple unguided ammunition, but there are also special types of shells, for example 9M217, equipped with a self-aiming device and a cumulative charge for fighting tanks.
Smoke traps and ammunition of increased power have been created, as well as many other surprises unpleasant for the enemy, with which the Grad installation can be charged. The radius of the defeat is becoming larger, lethal force is growing, accuracy is increasing.
Upgraded BM-21
Such a perfect and reliable system, used by the armies of dozens of states and universally recognized for its ease of maintenance and reliability, despite its impressive age, can be applied for a long time. From time to time, its characteristics are improved due to the latest technological advances, mainly of an informational nature.
In 1998, a deeply modernized Grad installation was demonstrated near Orenburg. Photos and videos of this car this time were not hidden from the public and were published by all leading news information channels. Differences from the base model were the presence of a fire control post called “Kapustnik-B2”, created on the basis of the high-speed computer “Baguette-41”. The fire control complex also includes a meteorological system, a navigation identifier, and the latest coded communication equipment operating in an automatic data exchange mode. The aiming range of the Grad installation doubled (up to 40 km). The ballistic performance of the shells, which received new stabilizers and better centering, also improved. New fuel mixes are under development.
During the operation, new modernization methods were revealed that significantly reduced the loading time and other performance characteristics of the Grad installation. In recent decades, composite materials have appeared, the use of which can increase the degree of stealth technology for radars and facilitate the design. Most likely, in the near future, the installation of Grad multiple launch rocket instead of tubular barrels will receive a polymer disposable monoblock, which will lead to a reduction in reload time to 5 minutes.
The modernized SZU along with the latest Prima systems will soon receive the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Mounting options are provided not only for car platforms, but also for some ships. Grad volley launcher can also be used as an element of protection of coastal bases.