The Grad multiple launch rocket system is known even to those who are not at all interested in weapons and military equipment. She is the direct heir to the military glory of the legendary Katyusha, which became the forerunners of a new era in the development of artillery systems, embodying all the basic performance characteristics inherent in subsequent generations of MLRS: small-sized, high mobility, surprise and the ability to hit multiple targets in one gulp over very large areas .
From the very first volley "Katyush", from which the earth itself reared up, and the fascist hordes came into a state of panic, to this day, domestic missile launchers are the best in the world. The Grad system, which entered service in the now distant 1963, replaced the Katyusha and became the basic type of missile weapons of the Soviet Army. For many years, this reactive system was unrivaled among similar types of foreign missile weapons.
The Grad installation, the development of which was approved by a special government directive in 1960, had an original design based on fundamentally new engineering solutions that were never used before. The development of the MLRS was carried out by NII-47, headed by the talented weapons designer A.N. Gognichev. The Grad system was designed to replace the obsolete BM-14 missile system.
As the ammunition in the installation, 122-mm high-explosive type M-21-OF shells were used. The Grad system was intended to suppress areas of concentration of armored vehicles and enemy troops, artillery and mortar batteries, supply units, bunker fortifications and nodal strong points. That is, the scope of these installations was very diverse. The need to create such an effective type of armament at that time was dictated by the intense confrontation between political systems and the ensuing Cold War.
The Grad system consists of a launcher mounted on the basis of the Ural-375D truck, a fire control mechanism and a special vehicle for transporting ammunition and loading. In subsequent modifications, the Ural-4320 off-road truck was used as the chassis . The speed of these missile systems is up to 90 km / h, which provides extremely high mobility and maneuverability.
The modern Grad system is equipped with a special automated launch complex Vivarium. The fire is fired by unguided rockets 122 mm. Information about the location of the targets and their nature is processed by a computer system, which is an essential part of the entire battery. According to the staffing schedule, the installation makes a volley in twenty seconds, and the reload time is only seven minutes. Ammunition is supplied by a specially designed charging platform. The standard ammunition of one battery consists of three volleys. This is quite enough to destroy almost any target.
The warhead of the Grad MLRS, the purpose of which is the guidance and launch of warheads, consists of forty tubular guides 3 m long and a barrel diameter of 122.4 mm. Horizontal and vertical aiming of the projectile is made by a special powerful electric drive.
The Grad systems proved to be excellent during the Afghan war, in the Karabakh conflict and both Chechen campaigns. This missile system is very popular in almost all Arab and African countries, where civil wars sometimes acquire a sluggish and permanent character.