Source: Military Weapons
The BM-21 "Grad" is a Soviet truck-mounted 122 mm multiple rocket launcher. The weapons system and the M-21OF rocket which it fires evolved in the early 1960s and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-Soviet border conflict. The complete system with the BM-21 launch vehicle and the M-21OF rocket is designated as the M-21 field-rocket system. The complete system is more commonly known as a Grad multiple rocket launcher system. In NATO countries the system (either the complete system or the launch vehicle only) was initially known as M1964. Several other countries have copied the Grad or have developed similar systems.
Type: Multiple rocket launcher
Place of origin: Soviet Union
In service: 1963–present
Designer: Splav State Research and Production Enterprise
Manufacturer: Splav State Research and Production Enterprise
Specifications (9K51)
Mass: 13.71 tonnes
Length: 7.35 m
Barrel length: 3.0 m
Width: 2.40 m
Height: 3.09 m
Crew: 3
Barrels: 40
Rate of fire: 2 rounds/s
Muzzle velocity: 690 m/s
Maximum firing range: 20 km (new rockets 30–45 km)
Sights: PG-1M panoramic telescope
Engine:
V-8 gasoline ZiL-375
180 hp (130 kW)
Suspension: 6×6 wheeled
Operational Range: 405 km
Speed: 75 km/h
