Tornado system of salvo fire: characteristics. "Tornado-G" - multiple launch rocket system

For decades, the "Grad" installation, adopted in 1963, had no equal in its fighting qualities, simplicity and reliability, the main traditional indicators of Russian weapons. Despite the further development of the concept of multi-barreled missile artillery, manifested in the appearance of "Hurricane" and "Smerch", it remained the most widespread in the Soviet Army and in the expanses of the former USSR after its disintegration, and far beyond its limits. However, time is inexorable, as is progress in the field of military technology. To replace the usual BM-21 soon to come the system of volley fire "Tornado". The characteristics of the new sample are superior to the gradov ones, but the amount that rearmament will cost is also impressive. How justified is this measure of enhancing Russia's defense capability? This question requires a detailed answer.

MLRS as a type of weapon

Everyone knows about Katyushas, the famous Guards mortars, at least in our country. Their formidable disposition they showed in the summer of 1941 and throughout the war horrified the soldiers of the Wehrmacht and the armies of the allies of fascist Germany. However, missile systems appeared much earlier. For example, during the siege of Odessa (1854) a squadron of Anglo-French expeditionary troops fired the city not only with cannonballs, but also with rockets. These missiles did not inflict a great deal of damage, but this was the case, but even then, this weapon was not a novelty, it is enough to recall the ancient Chinese history of wars. The whole point is how much the volley is coordinated. Only in the case of heap hits and target coverage, it becomes effective. On the square beat Katyusha, then "Grad", "Smerch" and "Hurricane." Currently, the most modern is the Tornado volley fire system, which has already begun to enter service. Each such MLRS costs a budget of 32 million rubles. And it's worth it.

Hold Leadership

Russia is the birthplace of the volley fire systems. They proved to be such an effective type of armament that even now they are discussing the issue of recognizing them as a means of mass destruction, and some countries refuse to use them. It is not known whether the matter will reach international agreements on limiting the number of MLRS. Most likely, the probability of this event is unlikely. The fact is that, despite the great successes in this field, made by Soviet designers, they do not have to rest on their laurels to their current Russian colleagues. Both in the West and in the East, unsuccessful attempts are made to create types of weapons for work "by area." The new Tornado volley fire system should be a response to attempts to bypass Russia in a matter in which it is traditionally considered a leader.

Range of fire

MLRS as a type of weapons have a number of shortcomings, one of which (and perhaps the most important) is their visibility during the shooting. The noise of rocket engines and smoke columns unmask the battery. There are two ways out of this problem. You can make a "maneuver with wheels" and quickly leave the position to avoid a retaliatory strike or provide sufficient for the invulnerability range of fire. It is the second way Western designers try to achieve impunity. The foreign top of multiple rocket fire systems in range is as follows:

1. WS-2D (China) - 200 km.

2. M270 MLRS (USA) - 140-300 km, with a standard projectile - 40 km.

3. Lynx (Israel) - up to 150 km.

4. Astros-II (Brazil) - up to 90 km.

5. LARS-2 (Germany) - 25 km.

6. Type 75 (Japan) - 15 km.

The Chinese MLRS at a record volley distance has the largest caliber of the projectile (425 mm).

How successful will the Tornado volley fire system be in case of a direct firing duel with foreign opponents? Its characteristics are not much higher than those of the well-known "Grad", at least, at first glance. However, not everything is so simple, the distance of the shot depends on the type of projectile.

Tornado range

Simple comparison of figures does not explain much. First, at the present time only one modification is in service with the Russian Army - the Tornado-G. The multiple rocket launcher system of this type is designed for the use of 122 mm rockets, but in addition there are other MLRS with indexes "U" (220 mm) and "C" (300 mm). All three samples have a high degree of versatility, which makes it possible to use both standard ammunition intended for Grads, Hurricanes and Smerchs, and special ones that have a range of two and a half times greater. And this is already something.

General scheme

The "Tornado" salvo fire system is a modular design mounted on a four-axle wheeled vehicle BAZ-6950. Modification "C" is equipped with two blocks of six barrels, and "G" - fifteen-barrel, also two. Such is the machine 2B17, but for its effective use in the composition of the division you need something else. Charging is performed by special transporters (TZM), fire control is carried out by the complex "Kapustnik-BM". The main system that provides a guaranteed coverage of the goal is the "Automated Control, Guidance and Fire" ASUNO "Success-R". It is thanks to her system of volley fire "Tornado" with a crew of two people can only fire fifty seconds after finding the target or getting information about it.

Accuracy

Traditionally, MLRS are fired by NURSs, that is, unguided rockets. This achieves the main advantage of the type of weapons - cheapness and mass destruction. But this economy turns out to be a high dispersion, because in its essence NURS is not much different from its ancient Chinese ancestors. There are specific standards, according to which a 100-kilometer distance is allowed a 200-meter deviation. A somewhat different approach was expressed by the creators of the Tornado-G SZO. The system of salvo fire has in the ammunition kit projectiles with individual target designation, capable of changing the trajectory in a limited way, ensuring entry into a point requiring special accuracy (for example, in a tank or defensive point of defense). Correct the fire of the UAV or the means of satellite navigation.

Maneuver

Given the rapid unmasking of the MLRS after the first launch, it was necessary to provide for the possibility of instant evacuation of equipment and calculation. The Tornado cannon fire system can begin to move even when the shells it has fired have not reached the target and are in flight, since the guidance system provides accuracy, which guarantees a low probability of need for a restart.

The all-terrain chassis allows you to drive along the highway at a speed of 85 km / h. On a rough terrain, naturally, it moves more slowly, but the mobility is quite sufficient to leave the zone of retaliatory defeat. Only half a minute is required in order to prepare for the next volley "Tornado". The salvo fire system, whose TTX significantly exceeds the parameters and parameters of Grad, also has a higher degree of invulnerability and stealth.

Prospects

The general public is aware that at present there are several units of the latest technology in the 8th separate artillery regiment of the MLRS deployed in the Crimea. The first unit to receive these systems was the 944th Guards Regiment stationed in Volgograd. In total, the Russian Army has a few dozen (reliably known of thirty-six) "Tornado-G." The system of salvo fire enters the military units, in which a gradual replacement of Grads, Smerchs and Hurricanes with a high-tech novelty occurs. In the same way, retraining of personnel is gradually taking place, which will have to master modern systems of guidance and fire control, to work out the coordination of actions and the exchange of information flows in conditions close to combat ones. Simultaneously, work continues on improving the design of MLRS. In particular, to improve accuracy in the near future, it is planned to use special reconnaissance missiles capable of hanging in the air and adjusting the shooting parameters in an automatic mode. It is also possible to use anti-tank and anti-personnel mines with Tornado missiles. Experts consider the promising line of work to be the use of facilities for launching guided missiles, including cruise missiles, which indicates the high degree of universality of the new MLRS.