Missile weapons since the days of the USSR, and now in the Russian Federation, continue to remain the main trump card not only in armed conflicts, but also in international negotiations.
However, this rarely comes to this. Much more needed in the daily military affairs of the multiple launch rocket system. One of the most common is Hurricane. MLRS is widespread in the army, it is quite cheap to manufacture. Given its reliability and unpretentiousness, one should not be surprised at the desire of modern RF Armed Forces to modernize this complex, the history of which began back in the 60s of the last century!
History of creation
It is considered that all domestic developments of this type have one progenitor - MLRS Katyusha. In a sense, this is true, but one should never forget that modern multiple launch rocket systems are fundamentally different from the legendary complex.
For example, domestic designers have long abandoned the rail system as guides: this is unreliable, since the trajectory of the projectile is largely arbitrary, and the chance of convergence of the charge is quite high.
Therefore, the installation of the M-21V, which was put into service in the distant 1963, should be considered a real ancestor of the MLRS 9k57 “Hurricane”.
Despite the decent characteristics of this MLRS, the military was not completely satisfied with it. Therefore, in 1963 a state defense order was received in Tula to develop a new promising model that would not have the shortcomings of the M-21V. The military included relatively low maneuverability, and the damaging effect of its standard projectile was unsatisfactory. Taking into account the lessons of the Great Patriotic War, our military already well understood that it was advisable to “grind” the tank columns of the enemy ahead of time, and therefore another requirement that was presented to the new development was an effective action even for lightly armored targets.
Looking ahead, we note that the MLRS 9k57 “Hurricane” perfectly copes with this task.
Outline
From 1963 to 1964, the specialists of the Tula Central Design Bureau were engaged in a comprehensive study of the tasks assigned to them. The main problem that then faced them was the creation of MLRS, which would allow hitting live and motorized enemy forces at a distance of up to 40 kilometers.
The result of these studies was the Hurricane project that appeared in mid-1964. MLRS of this type assumed the defeat of the enemy at a distance of up to 35 kilometers. Its advantage was its high maneuverability, which made it possible to quickly launch a salvo from a closed position and leave without being detected by the enemy.
In late 1966 - early 1967, large-scale research work began in Tula on the prospects for adopting the new system. Its result was a comprehensively developed concept of this complex, which included all the necessary information regarding the characteristics of the shells and the conditions for their use.
By 1970, the Ministry of Industry instructed to draw up the final draft of the new 9k57 Uragan MLRS. It should be noted that by that time engineers and scientists from not only Tula alone were involved in the development. So, in the Moscow and Moscow Region Central Design Bureau, a comprehensive study of high-explosive charges and fuse systems was carried out. In Kazan, they created knock-out charges for shells with a cluster type warhead.
Preliminary Test Result
An uninitiated reader may be surprised at how much time it took Soviet industry to create only one prototype of this kind of technology. It must be remembered that in those years there were simply no large-scale developments in this area. As a result of hard work and experiments carried out in design bureaus throughout the country, a unique Hurricane system was obtained. This MLRS is still used in dozens of countries around the world.
In particular, with its help they fight even in Syria. In general, the time that was spent for this research was certainly not in vain. For example, the same Smerch multiple launch rocket system was developed and put into service as soon as possible precisely because the lion's share of all calculations was already ready.
Back to the tests. In 1972, an almost ready-made prototype of the system was submitted to the court of experts, which passed all the factory tests. The main characteristics were as follows:
- MLRS equipped with unguided rocket launchers of cluster and high-explosive type, which carried 80 and 105 kilograms of explosives, respectively.
- BM 9P140, for which they nevertheless decided to use the standard ZIL-135LM chassis (due to the complexity and lack of agreement, the design of the caterpillar chassis was rejected).
- Machine for transporting and loading 9T452, which is placed on the chassis of the same ZIL-135LM.
- The complex also included equipment for repair and maintenance of machines.
A couple of years passed the factory dock, as a result of which the current "Hurricane" appeared. This MLRS in 1974 had approximately the same performance characteristics as at present. Finally, in 1976, the complex was finally put into service.
Two years took the removal of some minor flaws. In addition, during this time, experts developed several new and promising types of shells.
What components are included in the finished complex?
- The 9P140 combat vehicle itself.
- Machine for charging and transporting 9T452 shells.
- Reactive charges.
- Automatic fire control equipment and its correction 1V126 “Kapustnik-B”.
- Means for training and training personnel in conditions as close to combat as possible.
- Topographic reconnaissance vehicle 1T12-2M.
- Complex for direction finding and meteorological research 1B44.
- Set for maintenance and repair of equipment 9F381.
Most of all systems are duplicated, so even damaging them or completely disabling enemy fire is not an obstacle to a combat mission. In addition, the bulk of the operations can be performed manually.
Power plant specifications
The machine is driven by two V-engines ZIL-375, each of them 180 liters. from. The wheels on the sides are driven by their engine, have an independent gearbox and transmission. Steered wheels are installed on the first and fourth axles.
The machine is equipped not only with a centralized tire pressure monitoring system, it is possible to automatically pump them directly on the go. Flotation and speed characteristics are very good. At one gas station, you can drive about 600 km, giving a maximum speed of 65 km / h. The machine easily overcomes water obstacles up to 1.2 m deep without any additional training.
Calculation and Charging Information
In peacetime, a crew of four is appointed: the commander of the car, the gunner and a couple of fighters who are responsible for manual guidance and maintenance. In wartime, the group is expanded to six people, as many operations have to be performed manually.
As already mentioned, the transportation and loading of shells are carried out using a special machine 9T452, which is built on the same chassis. Each such machine not only carries 16 shells, but also provides their equipment without involving additional equipment. The process is fully mechanized, takes no more than 14 minutes. A TZM crane is used, which can be used to lift loads up to 300 kg in weight.
Incidentally, the Grad multiple launch rocket system uses the same.
Charging Machine Equipment
The equipment of the charging machine itself includes a frame for transporting shells, a rammer, a crane and freight carts. For the operator there is a separate platform, the capture of shells is carried out using a separate "claw". All operations for sending shells, turning the crane and auxiliary mechanisms are performed automatically, but if necessary, they can be carried out manually.
The rammer itself is a special guide with a pusher mechanism, which leads the projectile to the right place. Thanks to the simple and effective reconciliation mechanism, the operator eliminates the need to manually dock the guide and rammer. All mechanics work from electric drives, the generators of which are completely autonomous, and therefore do not need to start the main engine of the machine for their work.
Used shells
It should be noted that most of the time it took engineers not to design the chassis, but to create fundamentally new types of shells. It should be noted that the work on their design turned out to be extremely fruitful. So, up to 90% of the accumulated information was successfully used in the development of the "Tornado" system.
As a result of numerous experiments, eight to nine main types of shells were created. Currently, some of them are no longer used, as new models replaced them. Many of them are classified.
The most common was the 9M27F shell, equipped with a conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead. It is universal, designed to destroy both enemy manpower and armored vehicles. The mass of the explosive is only 49 kg while the weight of the entire projectile is 180 kg.
At about the same frequency, the Hurricane reactive system uses 9M27K brand charges, equipped with a cluster head, “stuffed” with striking elements. They are extremely effective in the fight against enemy infantry and light vehicles.
The shell itself weighs about 271 kg, contains 30 basic elements. In each of them - 350 hit parts with explosives. Even at a distance of 100 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, a projectile fragment easily penetrates 2 mm of high-quality homogeneous steel.
Model 9M27K1 is very similar to this charge, also using a cassette part with a lot of damaging elements. The only difference is that the separable elements (also about 30 pieces) when they hit the ground additionally jump, tens of times increasing the area of damage. In particular, the Tornado multiple launch rocket system, also known as the Tornado, is equipped with the same.
The highlight of the complex and the true pride of the designers is the 9M27K2 projectile, designed for remote installation of anti-tank minefields. It uses standard anti-tank mines PTM-1. In one shell 24 mines. They are designed for quick installation of barriers when attacking enemy tanks. A distinctive feature of mines is that after 3.4 hours they self-destruct, which makes it possible to launch their own tank units into the attack.
Approximately for the same purposes, 9M27K3 was developed. The difference is that it uses PFM-1C mines designed to destroy enemy manpower. One shell contains 312 anti-personnel mines. A salvo of one machine covers 60 ha. I must say that this is a very formidable weapon. “Hurricane” precisely for the ability to remotely install full-fledged minefields right in front of the enemy’s nose earned many excellent reviews in Afghanistan.
Especially for the demolition of enemy fortified defensive points, the 9M51 shell was created. The head part is equipped with a liquid explosive designed for thermobaric explosion. The disadvantage of this model is that the maximum firing range does not exceed 13 km.
9M27C projectile - incendiary. It is specially designed for the mass destruction of not only the enemy’s manpower, but also valuable material parts (cars in hangars, warehouses with equipment).
As you can see, multiple launch rocket systems (a review of one of them is presented in the article) can be used not only to cover entrenched infantry or equipment on the march, but also to solve more subtle and long-term tasks.
Modern prospects and modernization of complexes
As we have repeatedly noted, the complex itself is constantly being modernized, new types of shells are being developed. Today, the Hurricane multiple launch rocket system is in service even with the Yemen army, not to mention the entire former CIS. The Ministry of Defense annually concludes contracts for the supply and maintenance of these complexes around the world, so there is no reason to say about the lack of popularity.
At one time, Ukrainians moved the MLRS to the chassis of the KrAZ-6322 car .
Combat use
With the beginning of the war in Afghanistan , the MLRS under consideration simply proved to be excellent in combat conditions. In addition, it was repeatedly used by the Syrian military back in the 1980s with numerous conflicts with Israel. This system was repeatedly used by our armed forces against illegal armed groups of militants in the territory of the Chechen Republic.
As the military themselves say, the last time a multiple launch rocket system of this type was effectively used during the notorious Georgian events of 2008.
What are the prospects?
Many experts say that the Uragan MLRS is currently somewhat outdated. The reason for this statement is the fact that the maximum range of the enemy’s defeat is relatively small - only 35 km. The same "Tornado" gives already 80-90 kilometers.
But here an important point should be made. The fact is that the purpose of these complexes is still different. Do not confuse shells with a caliber of 200 mm with their counterparts of 300 mm. The latter (for “Tornado”) are not only bigger, but also much harder. Their length by a meter or two exceeds that for the "Hurricane". Accordingly, the time for reloading and combat deployment of the complex requires significantly more.
But "Hurricanes" are an excellent alternative to traditional long-range artillery. Even self-propelled howitzers (like MSTA-S) shoot no further than 13-30 km, and the effect of their shells is much weaker. MLRS also allows in an extremely short time to deploy a truly deadly system.
One battery (six vehicles) can destroy several tank companies at once or even “sow” hundreds of hectares with anti-tank or anti-personnel mines.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that the maintenance of more long-range MLRS options is more expensive from an economic point of view, and the training of their operators takes more time.
Being modernized, the "Hurricane" multiple launch rocket systems not only acquire new targeting and targeting systems, but can also effectively interact with UAVs. At present, the armament of the Russian army includes more and more unmanned aerial vehicles, so this opportunity is definitely not superfluous.
In a word, these systems still have a lot of prospects.