BM-30 (Smerch) / 9A52-2

History

The Soviet Army has long relied on numerous multiple rocket systems (MLRS) as cheap, effective fire support weapons, and in 1989 the adoption of the BM-30 "Smerch" ("Whirlwind") series projection for its long-range battlefield missiles required . This model consists of the chassis of an 8x8 wheeled military heavy truck of the MAZ-543M (or MAZ-79111) series, including a forward-facing crew compartment (left front) and a rear-mounted, trainable launcher unit with twelve 300mm Launch Tube. Capable of launching missiles with a variety of warheads (including chemical types), the Smerch was widely used by Soviet-backed allies and nations, from Armenia to Venezuela.

Even after the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the vehicles were passed on to the successor countries, while the local models were maintained by the new Russian army. Although its footprint is still increasingly limited today compared to its world peak lifespan, the vehicle remains of great value on the battlefield for its operators.

Russia currently (2015) has more than 100 systems in stock, although this series has been superseded on paper by the more modern 9A52-4 "Tornado" series (detailed elsewhere on this site).

The TZM 9T234-2 is used as a reload vehicle/ammunition carrier and can carry twelve 300mm rockets. 1K123 "Vivary" designates the associated Command Post (CP) component and the PM-2-70 MTO-V is used as the direct maintenance/support vehicle for the system. The 9A52 officially designated the BM-30 series, which now includes the 9A52-4, a lighter model introduced on the KamAZ-6350 series of trucks that supports variable launcher packs (and thus is more modular).

9A52-2T means export smerch, equipped with Tatra T816 series truck chassis.

During the life of the BM-30, several rockets were developed in addition to the standard 9M528 High Explosive Fragmentation Fragmentation (HI-FRAG) variant. These include cluster-based ammunition/mine dispensers (anti-personnel, anti-tank types), HEAT missiles (high-explosive anti-tank missiles), and thermobaric missiles (high-temperature fueled aerial bombs).

Despite its Cold War origins, the Smerch series was not used by government forces against rebels until 2014 during the Syrian civil war. That same year, Ukrainian government forces used it during an offensive against Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. While an unknown number of Syrian Army BM-30s are still in service, it is known that the Ukrainian army once had nearly 100 systems.

Pakistan manufactures the BM-30 locally at the Supako plant in Karachi as the A-100E. Since then, about 36 vehicles have been in service with the Pakistani army. Neighboring India is another operator with 42 9A52-2T models in service.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

12 x missiles. Reloads depend on available reload stock, usually by a support vehicle (TZM 9T234-2).

Changes