BM-27 Uragan

BM-27 Uragan
Vitaly V. Kuzmin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	BM-27 Uragan
Caption	BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher
Origin	Soviet Union
Type	multiple rocket launcher
Service	1975–present
Used by	see Operators
Designer	Splav State Research and Production Enterprise
Manufacturer	Motovilikha Plants
Production date	1975–1990s
Weight	20.5 tonnes (combat)
Length	7.35 m
Width	2.95 m
Height	3.11 m
Crew	4–5
Caliber	220 mm
Barrels	16
Max range	35–40 km (standard); up to 70 km (guided)
Armour	light
Engine	V8 diesel
Vehicle range	600 km

BM-27 Uragan The BM-27 Uragan is a Soviet-era 220 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher developed in the 1970s and fielded from the mid-1970s into the late Cold War, subsequently used by post-Soviet states and export customers. It was designed to provide corps- and army-level saturation fire with high-explosive, chemical, incendiary, and guided munitions, and has seen use in conflicts from the Soviet–Afghan War to contemporary operations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Design and Development

Design and Development traces to Cold War requirements set by the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union to replace earlier systems like the BM-21 Grad and to complement heavy systems such as the BM-30 Smerch and Katyusha rocket artillery. Development work was carried out by the Splav State Research and Production Enterprise in Izhevsk and production by Motovilikha Plants in Perm Krai, reflecting design bureaus and defense ministries coordinating with the Soviet General Staff. The Uragan project responded to doctrinal shifts after assessments from Warsaw Pact exercises and lessons from the Yom Kippur War and Vietnam War that emphasized deep-strike and area-denial capabilities for formations like the Soviet Ground Forces and Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

Technical Description

Technical Description covers the launcher mount, chassis, fire-control and ammunition. The launcher is a 16-tube, revolving-type rack for 220 mm rockets mounted on a modified ZIL-135 or later MAZ-543-derived chassis, with a diesel engine, automatic reload preparation and hydraulic traverse and elevation systems tied to an onboard fire-control unit compatible with inertial navigation aids and rangefinding gear used by Soviet Air Defence Forces and Artillery Directorate practices. Rockets include unguided high-explosive fragmentation rounds, fuel–air explosive munitions, cluster submunitions compatible with conventions debated at United Nations forums, and later guided GLR-1/GRAD-220 types extending reach. The system carries rocket storage rounds on board and uses a separate resupply vehicle for sustained operations; crew cabins provide NBC protection standards akin to other Cold War systems used by formations like the Soviet Motor Rifle Troops.

Variants and Upgrades

Variants and Upgrades include factory and field modifications produced by Splav, Motovilikha Plants, and later by manufacturers in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Notable variants incorporate improved fire-control systems interoperable with the GLONASS satellite navigation constellation and upgraded chassis derived from the KAMAZ and Ural families for export. Modern upgrade packages add guided rocket capability, digital ballistic computers shared with systems such as the 2S7 Pion and telemetry suites used by Russian Ground Forces brigades. Exported and licensed versions have been adapted by the Syrian Arab Army, Iraqi Armed Forces, and other operators to accept indigenous warheads and fuzing influenced by procurement from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

Operational History

Operational History charts deployment from the late Cold War through post-Soviet conflicts. The Uragan entered service with the Soviet Army and was deployed in the Soviet–Afghan War for area bombardment and counter-insurgency operations. Post-1991, units transferred to successor states including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Georgia; the launcher appeared in combat during the Second Chechen War, Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present), the Syrian Civil War, and during regional clashes such as the War in Donbas (2014–2015). International transfers and reverse-engineering affected inventories of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Libyan National Army, and other Middle Eastern and African actors following arms embargo changes and procurements from brokers connected to Rosoboronexport and regional suppliers.

Operators

Operators lists state and non-state users historically and currently. Primary state operators have included Russian Ground Forces, Ukrainian Ground Forces, Belarusian Armed Forces, Kazakh Ground Forces, and Armenian Armed Forces. Export and captured examples entered service with the Syrian Arab Army, Iraqi Armed Forces, Libyan National Army, and various United Nations-monitored arsenals. Non-state capture and use appeared among armed groups in Syria and in the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic during the War in Donbas (2014–2015), reflecting proliferation patterns seen with other Cold War-era systems like the BM-21 Grad.

Combat Performance and Use

Combat Performance and Use assesses effectiveness, limitations, and humanitarian implications. The Uragan’s 220 mm rockets deliver heavy area effects useful against troop concentrations, fortifications, and logistics hubs, comparable in doctrinal role to the BM-30 Smerch but with shorter range than some Western artillery systems used by NATO forces and integrated with counter-battery networks such as those employing AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar-type sensors. Limitations include limited precision of unguided munitions and logistics burdens that mirror issues seen with rocket artillery in the Yom Kippur War and Gulf War (1990–1991). Use of cluster and incendiary submunitions led to scrutiny under protocols considered at the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and influenced tactical employment by states party to those discussions.

Self-Propelled Artillery Doctrine and Tactics

Self-Propelled Artillery Doctrine and Tactics describes integration into brigade- and corps-level schemes. The Uragan is typically employed in massed rocket barrages coordinated by corps artillery commands and reconnaissance assets including UAV units and Signals Intelligence elements for target acquisition, functioning as a deep-strike asset complementary to tube artillery like the 2S19 Msta and 2A65 Msta-B. Tactics emphasize shoot-and-scoot mobility to evade counter-battery fire from systems linked to Counter-battery radar networks and electronic warfare units used by modern formations, with logistics support provided by heavy transport units and doctrinal planning by staff elements trained along lines established in Soviet Combined Arms manuals and adapted in post-Soviet militaries.

Category:Cold War artillery