The accuracy and range of the "Grad" installation. Zalpovaya installation "Grad": the radius of damage, TTX, shells

One of the symbols of local conflicts, which were blown up after the collapse of the Soviet Union in many territories that used to be part of it, was the Grad installation. Photo of this missile artillery system, published in newspapers and on the pages of Internet publications, is sometimes issued for the proof of the Russian military presence or is presented as an illustration of the paintings of fierce battles. In any case, if BM-21 is used, there is little good. The effectiveness of this weapon is very high.

"Katyusha" and development of SZO

In our country, salvo installations appeared earlier than in the rest of the world. The reactive scientific research institute patented a multi-barrel missile launcher system, back in 1938. Since then, work on improving the MLRS was conducted in the USSR almost continuously, having received special development during the Great Patriotic War. "Katyusha" - the legendary Guards mortars - were combat formations of the regimental echelon, but they could be compared to divisions by their striking power. The zalpovy principle, unlike the firing of single missiles, took root in the troops for a very simple reason. From the late thirties to the mid-fifties, missiles were mostly unmanageable, moving along a conventional ballistic trajectory and inferior to hit artillery means of defeat. The fuel burned not evenly enough, there were fluctuations in the pulse, which led to large dispersion values. To level out this shortcoming could only a massive application, as a result of which the area was amazed with everything that was on them at that moment was. The Second World War was characterized by collisions of large numbers of manpower and equipment. Based on the experience gained from 1939 to 1945, the concept of multiple rocket fire systems, created in the subsequent period in the USSR, was formulated. Its vivid expression was BM (a combat vehicle), which has a low-index "21", it is also a "Grad" installation. The radius of defeat became significantly larger, in comparison with the "Katyusha", the firepower increased many times.

Previous systems

At the end of the thirties, the Soviet military leadership treated the idea of salvo strikes with missiles, as well as in general with missile technology, with some distrust. The usual army conservatism was combined with the confidence in the types of weapons proven by time. Nevertheless, many enthusiasts of the new type of ammunition managed to break the resistance, and soon after the German attack, the battalions "Katyusha" entered the firing positions, bringing confusion and panic into the ranks of the aggressors. The successful use of SZOs in the course of hostilities in Europe, and later in Asia (against the Kwantung group of Japanese troops) finally strengthened the Stalinist leadership in the idea of the advisability of further development of this area of military equipment. In the first half of the 50's, new samples were developed and adopted. BM-14 had a caliber of RS 140 mm and could hit area targets at ten kilometers distance. The BM-24 fired even further, at 16,800 meters. It seemed that it was difficult to create something more sophisticated, especially considering that artillery in general is a kind of conservative army with a technical base not so much dependent on scientific progress as aviation or navy. Guns and howitzers serve for decades without undergoing constructive changes, and it does not surprise anyone. Nevertheless, according to the great designer A. N. Gonichev, it was still possible to do much more. In May 1960, he received an important government task. TTX installation "Grad", the creation of which he was instructed, should significantly exceed the parameters of BM-14 and BM-24, already in service.

Tasks and subcontractors

They did not plan anything revolutionary in the new design. The general principles have already generally been formed. It was assumed that the projectile would be solid fuel, this was dictated by the massive use in the troops and the peculiarities of storage conditions in warehouses and in the front-line zone in the event of a military conflict. The accuracy of shooting the Grad installation could be improved by applying tubular guides that more rigidly set the motion vector during start-up and at the initial stage of the flight. The rotational moment attached to the projectile for the same purpose of reducing dispersion arose not only due to stabilizers located at an angle to the flight line, but also due to special grooves-guides cut inside the trunk, just as it is realized in artillery guns. With other factors that worsened the parameters of shooting, it was also necessary to fight, not only by the forces of the parent design organization, but also by the subcontractors. The PU created SKB-203, fuel cells were answered by SRI No. 6, and GSKB-47 developed combat charges. The name of "mailboxes" and today, few people speak about anything, but then, in 1960, and even more so. In an atmosphere of secrecy, all types of weapons were created, including the Grad installation. Photos of the prototypes were stored in special folders with strict vultures. All personnel involved in the creation of a new SZO, gave appropriate subscriptions for non-disclosure. For many years, none of the workers of defense enterprises could travel abroad, even to socialist countries.

Testing

At the very end of 1961, the first pre-series launcher "Grad" was ready for testing, then one more. The main rocket and artillery directorate of the Soviet Army prepared for spring the area of the polygon (Leningrad region) for planned launches of 650 rockets and further running tests along a 10,000-kilometer route. It is not known whether the fault was haste, but the running gear could not stand the full run, it could drive only 3300 km, after which the frame broke. The chassis had to be replaced, but as it turned out, the malfunctions were not accidental, but were of a systemic nature. Under the influence of dynamic loads, two bridges were bent and the propeller shaft broke. However, these troubles did not prevent the state acceptance. Under the test conditions, excess running range was laid. Since 1964 Grad installations began to arrive in military units.

Guidance mechanism

Of course, the main indicators in this system of volley fire were the figures confirmed by test firing, rather than driving performance. From Moscow to Vladivostok, no one was going to drive these SZOs on their own, there are other means for delivery, and the accident-free run of more than three thousand kilometers eloquently said that the chassis, in general, is not so bad, although they need In some reinforcement. The main unit of the machine is the combat unit, consisting of forty (10 in a row) guide pipes, 3 meters in length and with an internal diameter of 122.4 mm. The shooting range of the "Grad" installation depends on the inclination of the barrel block relative to the horizontal plane, the angle of which is set by the lifting device. This knot is located in the center of the base and by its principle represents a mechanical reducer, which includes two kinematic pairs: a pinion shaft and a pinion for setting the direction and a worm gear with which the desired elevation is created. The guidance mechanism is actuated by electric drive or manually.

Production innovations

The TTX of the Grad installation is directly related to the characteristics of the missiles that it shoots.

As the main ammunition for the BM-21, a high-explosive projectile projectile 9M22 was planned. Its production was entrusted to the plant No. 176, which in 1964 was to produce 10,000 pieces. With the task, however, the enterprise failed, unexpected difficulties and unforeseen difficulties arose. For the first quarter, the plant managed to produce 650 missiles and 350 warheads to them. Justification for the violation of the schedule could be an innovation that requires time for implementation, but improves the technology in the future. At the insistence of the General Designer Alexander Ganichev, a method was introduced for the production of hulls using the template drawing method from sheet steel, similar to that used in the production of artillery shells. Previously, rockets were cut on radial machines from solid blanks, which led to high metal consumption and unnecessary labor. Another innovative approach was applied in the method of fastening the folding stabilizers of the projectile, which the Grad installation is shooting. The radius of the 9M22 lesion is somewhat higher than 20 km. Limit distances are not optimal in terms of accuracy. Dispersion in the extreme points is maximum. Actually, the minimum range of the Grad installation, set at 5 km, is conditional, it is possible to fire within a radius of one and a half kilometers, but it is more risky to get in the wrong place where it is necessary that with a huge destructive force of ammunition can cause very unpleasant consequences.

"Extract" technology has justified itself. The missile body really got easier. Production was cheaper, but this was not the main achievement. The shooting range of the "Grad" installation has significantly increased. At the same mass of the projectile, it could hit the over-horizon targets.

Rocket launch

In the history of local conflicts there were episodes when projectiles intended for BM-21 were launched from slate sheets placed on bricks to give the desired angle. In these cases, of course, the accuracy of the hit was not high. The "Grad" installation can not be replaced by auxiliary means. Photos of Middle Eastern terrorists trying to inflict damage on the opposite side with the help of self-made devices are intended mainly to provide psychological pressure.

The 9M22 rocket weighs 66 kg at a length of 2870 mm. The fighting compartment has a mass of 18.4 kg and contains 6.4 kg of TNT. The start occurs when the fuse is ignited. Solid fuel consists of two pieces with a total mass of 20.4 kg. The detonation of the head unit is carried out by the MRV detonator (MRV-U), which becomes on the battle platoon automatically after the launch of the missile for 200-400 meters. The barrel of the projectile leaves, having a speed of 50 m / s, then accelerates to 700 m / s. The range of the "Grad" installation can be artificially limited by means of brake rings (large or small). In 1963, the specialists of NII-147 created a fragmentation-chemical version of the projectile, which received the designation "Lake" (9M23), which has the same flight characteristics as the 9M22.

The usual 9M22 and "Lake"

Tests showed how powerful the weapon is to install Grad. The area of damage with a full volley is 1050 square meters. M when struck by manpower, and 840 square meters. M for armored vehicles.

Further development of the hardware of the projectile touched fuses. "Lake" can be equipped with them in two versions (mechanical and radar). Any high-explosive munition becomes much more effective if its blasting is carried out at the optimal height, including the projectile that the Grad unit shoots. The area of damage by fragments and poisonous substances at the initiation of 30 meters from the surface increases sharply, however, the use of a radar fuze reduces the range by 1600 meters.

Different types of ammunition for Grad

During the production of BM-21, work was constantly carried out to improve existing ammunition and create new (special) ones. They can be charged with any "Grad" installation. The 3M16 shells have a cassette head, 9M42 light for 500 minutes in a 500-meter radius with a daily brightness, 9M28K flies antipersonnel mines (3 each), self-destructing for 16-24 hours. RS 9M519 creates stable local radio interference.

BM-21 basically uses simple unguided ammunition, but there are also special types of projectiles, for example 9M217, equipped with a self-targeting device and a cumulative charge for fighting tanks.

Smoke detectors, ammunition of increased capacity, and many other unpleasant surprises for the enemy that can be used to install the Grad facility have been created. The radius of damage is increasing, the lethal force is increasing, the accuracy is increasing.

Upgraded BM-21

Such a perfect and reliable system used by the armies of dozens of states and received universal recognition due to the simplicity of service and reliability, despite the impressive age, can be used for a long time. From time to time, its characteristics are improved due to the latest technological advances, mainly of an informational nature.

In 1998, under Orenburg, the "Grad" installation that underwent a deep modernization was demonstrated. The photos and videos of this car were not hidden from the public this time and were published by all the leading news outlets. Differences from the basic model were the presence of a fire control post, called "Cabbage-B2", created on the basis of a high-speed computer "Baget-41". The fire control complex also includes a meteorological system, a navigational determinant, the latest coded communication equipment operating in automatic data exchange mode. The sighting range of the Grad installation doubled (up to 40 km). Improved and ballistic indicators of shells, received new stabilizers and more perfect alignment. In the process of development are new fuel mixtures.

In the course of operation, new ways of modernization have been identified, which make it possible to significantly reduce the loading time and other TTX of the Grad installation. In recent decades, composite materials have appeared, the application of which can increase the degree of stealth technology for radars and facilitate the construction. Most likely, in the near future the Grad rocket launcher will receive a polymer single-use monoblock instead of tubular barrels, which will lead to a reduction of recharge time to 5 minutes.

In the near future, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will receive upgraded SRS along with the latest Prima systems. There are options for mounting not only on the car platforms, but also on some ships. The volley installation "Grad" can also be used as an element of protection of coastal bases.