The firing range of the “Grad” and “Hurricane” allows you to perform missions to defeat enemy equipment and accumulations of manpower both in open areas and in natural shelters. A volley of launcher will cover lightly armored vehicles, as well as mortar and artillery calculations in places of concentration.
These products of the domestic military industry will be discussed in the article.
History
In the fifties, the NPO "Fusion" implemented the concept of pulling hard shells of shells. The idea allowed to come up with 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.
Not much time passed before the developers of the complex saw the possibility of creating a more powerful combat unit. The proposal for the release of MLRS "Hurricane" was first voiced 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"
Since adoption, it has been using 122 mm shells. Ammunition in 40 shells. The guide package is adjustable, the maximum elevation angle is 55 °, so aiming at the target is carried out.
Minimum firing range "Grad":
- high-explosive fragmentation ammunition 4 km;
- cluster shells 2.5 km;
- guided missiles 1.6 km.
Each type of shells has its own characteristics, it is used depending on the tasks.
Maximum firing range MLRS "Grad":
- 40 km high-explosive fragmentation rockets;
- cluster bombs 33 km;
- guided missiles 42 km.
The calculation of the combat vehicle consists of 3 people, and the coverage area with active shelling reaches 142 km².
Since the sample was taken into service, about 3 million rockets of various types went off the assembly line.
TTX "Hurricane"
The firing range of the Grad and its “descendant” varies: from 10 to 35 km, depending on the type of projectile. Used high-explosive, cluster and thermobaric.
The machine is equipped with a package of guides in the amount of 16 pieces, which are fully fired at 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 firing range, the Grad and Hurricane were used during the fighting in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.
Their use by the Azerbaijani side in the Karabakh conflict was recorded. Installations were used in the battle for the Omar pass - the bloodiest clash during the incident. In February 1994, due 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, the few surviving 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 Dudaev’s forces.
In the five-day war in South Ossetia in 2008, both complexes were used.
Grad and Hurricane were used by both sides in the conflict in southeastern 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 both installations were used during the civil war, in particular, during the liberation of Palmyra.
Verdict
The military conflicts listed above prove once again how simple and high-quality domestic development is. The firing range of the Grad and Hurricane allows you to perform any combat missions in various conditions.
Regardless of the climate, time of year and situation in the country. Easy operation allows you to quickly deploy a multiple launch rocket system in position and give a volley at the intended target, and then change position.
Artillery shelling is in many ways similar to the work of a sniper: after each salvo, a change of position follows. Otherwise, a return projectile may arrive along a calculated flight path.
The military industry is developing in great strides. The production of Gradov ended in 1988, and the Hurricanes in 1991. Nevertheless, 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 participated in many conflicts and more than once proved its effectiveness.
If you compare the list of operators, "Hurricane" is less popular. This once again proves that the firing range of the Grad system played a decisive role in the use by the troops of the USSR and Russia, as well as by countries from the former Soviet Union.
It is hoped that any weapon will be a means of deterrence, and not a Doomsday machine.