9P120 multiple rocket launcher with launcher in raised position.
Source: Vitaly V. Kuzmin -
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The 9K57 Uragan is a late Cold War era multiple rocket launcher of Soviet origin. It was developed in the 1970's as a more powerful and longer range alternative to the variety of smaller caliber artillery rockets in Soviet service. The name Uragan is Russian for "hurricane".
The Uragan is based on the ZiL-135 all terrain 8x8 truck chassis. The unarmored crew cab is located at the front, followed by its two engines and the 16 round rocket launcher. In the firing position jacks are lowered and a blast shield covers the windows. The 220mm diameter artillery rockets are spin-stabilized and feature four wrap-around fins near the tail. Various warheads are available.
The Uragan fires 9M27 series of 220mm unguided spin-stabilized artillery rockets in rapid succession out to 35 km. A total of 16 rockets are carried and are ready to fire. Besides the standard HE-Fragmentation warhead rockets with chemical or AP and AT mines are available.
The Uragan is an unarmored system that is vulnerable to any kind of direct and indirect fire. Its long range allows it to engage many enemy systems beyond their maximum range, operating in relative safety behind friendly troops. An NBC system is fitted as standard.
The ZiL-135 8x8 truck on which the Uragan system is based has a modest all terrain capability. It has a good mobility on roads and reasonable mobility in the field. Two 180 hp gas engines provide propulsion and allow for a top speed of 65 km/h. Although the truck design is fairly capable, it is expensive, complex and has a poor track record regarding reliability.
The Uragan system has been adopted in large numbers with Soviet forces and several Soviet allies. It has not been exported as extensively as many smaller caliber Soviet artillery systems. The Uragan remain in use today and remains a capable system, even though more powerful and longer range systems have been developed in the past decades.
The 9P120 is the launch vehicle and as such an essential part of the Uragan system. It is based on the Zil-135 chassis and carries 16 rockets in its trainable launcher.
The 9T452 is a transloader vehicle based on the same Zil-135 chassis as the launch vehicle. It carries additional 220mm rockets and is equipped with a crane for reloading the launch vehicle. Reloading all 16 artillery rockets takes 20 minutes.
The 9M27 series of 220mm artillery rockets are conventional spin-stabilized unguided artillery rockets. They feature a solid propellant rocket motor, wrap around folding wings and may be fitted with a variety of warheads. The most common variant has a unitary HE-Frag warhead. Several variants of cluster warheads exist as well.
The 9M27 series is described in detail in a separate article.
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