URAL 4320 BM-21 GRAD

The first work on the BM-21 Grad self-propelled missile launcher began in 1960 at the Tula plant. In 1963, the set was adopted by the Soviet Army. Serial production started in the same year and is continued to this day in Fabryka Spław in Tula. The BM-21 set was developed as a successor to the BM-14 launchers. Compared to its predecessor, it had a very large number of modifications. First of all, a new wheeled chassis was used, based on the URAL-375D truck in a 6x6 arrangement. The BM-21 set also has a new launcher with a caliber of 122 mm (compared to 140 mm in the BM-14). The launcher also carries 40 rounds in combat position, compared to 16 on the BM-14. The effective firing range was also significantly improved: while the BM-14 could hit targets at distances of up to 9800 m, the BM-21 Grad system could fire at targets 20,400 m away! The main task of the BM-21, however, still remained to hit surface targets, such as enemy artillery clusters, field fortifications or places of its concentration. The BM-21 set has been exported to many countries, including: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, North Korea, Syria, Vietnam, but also Poland and Czechoslovakia. The BM-21 took part in a large number of conflicts - e.g. the Vietnam War (1964-1975), the Afghan War (1979-1989), the Iran-Iraq War (1979-1989) or the 1991 Gulf War.