For several decades, the Grad system was one of the most terrible weapons in the world. No country on the planet could resist the Russian Federation. In service, this installation was adopted back in 1963. Almost simultaneously with the MLRS, “Hurricane” and “Tornado” appeared. However, only Grad was widely used.
The Tornado weapon has been gradually supplanting its predecessor since its release (2012). All thanks to greater power and accuracy. Complete rearmament in the Russian Federation has not yet occurred, but the foreign armed forces are already expressing their interest in new weapons.
History of MLRS
The first system of volley fire can be considered a Korean weapon, which has the name "hvachha". It is considered the "parent" of modern installations. Appeared a long time ago - in the XV century.
For a long time in the history of such a powerful weapon, large-scale changes did not occur. Only at the beginning of the 19th century were unguided shells used. They were a powder rocket. From that moment they were used in many battles, including in Copenhagen.
The USSR was closely engaged in the development of reactive systems. Already in 1927, some installations entered service with the fleet. In three years, the (very successful) BM-13 model was created. In the people, this MLRS is known as Katyusha.
After the hostilities, Grad became widespread. The system became widely known after the Soviet Union used it in conflict with China.
The predecessor of the Tornado is Grad
For the first time, it became clear how powerful the Grad weapon was after testing it on Daman Island. Then in 1969, a conflict arose between the border services of China and the Soviet Union. After several shots, the territory turned into a plowed field. According to historians, in that situation more than 3 thousand Chinese were killed. None of those who tried to penetrate the Soviet peninsula (which anyway passed into the possession of the PRC) survived.
In the arsenal of the Russian Federation "Grad" stood for more than 40 years, and, as you know, everything has a certain "shelf life". During its existence, the country saw the new system of "Tornado" and "Hurricane". They were replaced by the latest weapons of Russia - “Tornado”.
The appearance of weapons "Tornado" in the Russian Federation
The first weapon testing took place in 2011, namely on the 25th of the first month of the fall. On these tests were representatives of the military forces of states such as Russia and Kazakhstan. According to the results, it became clear that this model makes its predecessor “Grad” fade into the background. Russian weapons “Tornado” have greater firing power, better accuracy of battle, topographic location, range and accuracy of shots, etc. Moreover, it is equipped with special satellite guidance. Thanks to him, the chance of a miss is much reduced.
Small characteristic "Tornado-S"
Unlike the Tornado, the Tornado-S model has an increased firing range, which is three times higher than the first installation. Thanks to the system that allows you to control the flight of the rocket, the installation will become famous for a small percentage of misses. The shells that the Tornado-S weapons produce can be of various models: cumulative, fragmentation, mines, SBE (they differ in that they self-destruct). Thanks to this, this MLRS will be a great way to get rid of the enemy in an instant. However, it is very expensive. In 2012, the amount of Tornado-S exceeded 35 million rubles.
Creation of Tornado-G
The Tornado-G weapon was developed a long time ago. This happened in the 90s. This MLRS was even tested in training practice under one of the cities of the Russian Federation.
In 2011, a state order for the supply of 36 cars was received. The total cost amounted to more than 1 billion rubles. But this order was not fulfilled. The fact is that this model, in fact, is a modification of the Grad system. As a result, the Tornado-G was not adopted. The Russian government revised its decision in 2012, so in 2013 the supply of the same amount of guns was completed. They will be assigned to the state fleet.
Technical characteristics of Tornado-G
The Tornado-G weapon has a removable rail design. Thanks to this, shells of various calibers can be used. However, it should be borne in mind that this function is only available if the chassis that stands on the Typhoon will be used. The system reload time varies from 3 to 7 minutes.
The cabin is equipped with the latest guidance system and the shooting process itself. Thanks to this, the soldier will not have to use the attack methods that were relevant during the Grad.
Accuracy MLRS "Tornado"
As expected, the Russian weapon "Tornado" is firing with unguided shells in the form of missiles. Thanks to this, the maximum effect is achieved - ease of use, cheapness and large scale lesions.
There are no problems with the accuracy of weapons. There is a permissible deviation - the distance of the allowed miss is 200 m per 100 km. Tornado-G has a point correction system. It is used if it is necessary to get into a certain object (tank, headquarters, etc.). The trajectory changes due to the use of satellite navigation and UAVs.
Weapon maneuverability
After the shot, disguising the MLRS is quite difficult, given the power of the Tornado. The new weapons of Russia, respectively, should be able to quickly evacuate and leave. Due to the fact that the guidance system that is used here guarantees increased accuracy, the weapon can start moving even before the shells reach the target. The confidence that a restart is not needed is 100%. The chassis, which is cross-country, allows the Tornado to move along the highway at a speed of up to 85 km / h.
Tornado range and projectile caliber
In service with the Russian Federation is only "Tornado-G." The caliber of the shells that are used is 122 mm. Other models have slightly different indicators. In addition to version “G”, a technique was created with the index “C” and “U”. The diameters of their missiles are 300 and 220 mm, respectively. They are capable of firing as "native" shells, being modifications of "Hurricane" (U) and "Tornado" (C), as well as special ones. The latter have a range indicator twice the original.