Russian artillery BM-27 Uragan MLRS hit AFU fortifications

The Uragan MLRS CMD (command) units are manned and operated by mobilised unit personnel who also operate maintenance vehicles which deliver the munitions and groceries, as well as load launching ramps for Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS).

Some of the mobilised unit servicemen have got combat experience and many of them have relatives who are also involved in the special military operation, as both regular and mobilised personnel.

Uragan MLRS crews launch strikes at AFU positions within the special military operation

The Uragan MLRS vehicles deploy to their positions and launch 220mm rocket-propelled projectiles at the positions, command posts, supply convoys and convoys of Ukrainian nationalists and AFU positions are neutralised by these fighting vehicles which are mostly used in pairs or sometimes by themselves.

Fire adjustment and target reconnaissance are performed by unmanned aerial vehicles.



*Military Ops – Technical data*

The BM-27 MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) Uragan is capable of launching 220 mm rockets from 16 launch tubes mounted on the rear of a ZIL-135 8×8 chassis.

The MLRS was developed by the Splav State Research and Production Association, Tula, Russia.

This vehicle is extremely similar to that used in the FROG-7 free flight rocket system. It has two gasoline engines that power its 20 tonnes to a maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour.

One engine drives the four wheels on the left of the truck, while the other engine drives the four wheels on the right. The ZIL-135 has eight wheel drive, but only the front and rear axles are used for steering. It has a maximum cruising range of 500 kilometers.

The cab of the ZIL-135 is NBC protected, allowing the rockets to be fired without exposing the crew to possible contaminants. The six-man crew can emplace or displace the system in three minutes.

Before firing, stabilising jacks must be lowered and the blast shield raised to protect the cab and its occupants. Indirect fire aiming is achieved with the use of a PG-1 panoramic telescope. Although there are no night vision sights, the driver of the launch vehicle is equipped with a night vision device.

The BM-27 can use HE-FRAG, chemical, explosive or scatter-able mine (PTM-3 or PFM-1) sub-munition equipped rockets, all of which are detonated by electric timing fuses. (However, chemical munitions have been officially off service in Russia since 2017.)

Each rocket weighs 280.4 kilograms. The warheads weigh between 90 and 100 kilograms, depending on type. A full salvo of 16 rockets can be fired in 20 seconds and can engage targets within a range of 35 kilometers.

Because of the size of the warhead, the range of the rocket and the speed that a salvo can be delivered, the BM-27 is very effective at mine laying. Each 220 mm rocket can scatter 312 anti-personnel PFM-1 mines.

Minefields can be laid behind a retreating enemy or even be used to trap an enemy by encircling them with mines. Tactics such as this were often used by the Soviets in Afghanistan.

The 5kg anti-tank mines destroy the armoured vehicles from below. The mines are armed with a proximity fuse and directional 1.85kg explosive charge with high armour-piercing ability. The mines have a self-destruct time range of 16 to 24 hours.

The PTM-1 HE tank-disabling pressure-action mine is designed to destroy tank tracks rather than to pierce the armour of the tank. The 1.5kg mines are armed with a 1.1 high-explosive charge type PW-12S. The self-destruction time of the PTM-1 is three to 40 hours.

Once the rockets have been fired, 9T452 (another ZIL-135 based vehicle) is used to assist in reloading. It carries additional rockets and a crane to transfer the rockets from the reload vehicle to the launcher.[4] The entire reloading procedure takes around 20 minutes.

The Uragan or Hurricane 9K57 is a 16-round 220mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) developed by the Splav State Research and Production Association, Tula, Russia.

Splav also produces the Smerch, Grad and Prima MLRS. Also called the BM-27 or 9P140, the MLRS system entered service in 1977.

The mission of the launcher is to defeat troops and combat materiel in concentrated areas, as well as remotely lay anti-tank area denial mines in a combat zone at distances between 10km and 35km.

The combat-proven system is in service with the Russian Army and has also been exported worldwide. The Uragan has a reputation for high reliability, simplicity and speed of operation and maintenance and a short salvo time.

Splav delivered 13 Uragan rocket artillery to Yemen in 1994 and nine to Eritrea in 2007. The overseas operators include Belarus, Guinea, Moldova, Syria, Angola, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

The Russian Army upgraded the Uragan MLRS systems with new navigation and targeting systems. Splav developed the Uragan-1M, which is the latest version of the Uragan MLRS.