Russia gets new 122mm long-range and accurate Tornado-G MLRS

By Boyko Nikolov On Feb 17, 2023

MOSCOW, RUSSIA — Russian troops received a new line of missiles for the Tornado-G multiple launch system. This was reported earlier by the Izvestia agency, citing an unnamed source in the military department.

Russia gets new 122mm long-range and accurate Tornado-G MLRS — Photo credit: Wikiepdia

It was noted that the products of new types of 122 mm ammunition for MLRS 9K51M Tornado-G, developed by NPO Splav, have passed all the necessary tests, have been put into series, and are already entering the troops.

The main difference between the new missiles with improved characteristics from the previous generation missiles is reported to be their increased range and accuracy. Such indicators were achieved thanks to the installation of a new type of rocket engine. However, the exact characteristics are not reported.

According to several experts, it is a modification of guided missiles with a full-fledged control and guidance system, the range of which is more than 40 km. It is worth noting that this is twice the ammunition of this type of base family for the widespread 9K51 Grad volley fire system.

It is also worth noting that such conclusions are not unfounded, since in the early 2000s NPO Splav and Technodinamika began work on the creation of improved precision ammunition for Russian salvo missile systems as part of a project to create modernized Tornado complexes -G and Tornado-S.

However, due to insufficient funding, work on precision munitions for the Tornado-G MLRS was nevertheless turned in favor of the more distant Tornado-S systems.

However, a few years ago it became known that the project of a promising long-range high-precision missile for the Tornado-G MLRS was “reanimated” by Rostech and put into mass production.

At the same time, it became known that the further improvement of this ammunition at NPO Splav and at the Scientific and Production Concern Engineering Technologies still continues.

According to available information from open sources, these promising 122-mm rockets of the 9M521 / 522 line and rockets of increased power 9M538 / 539/540/541 for the upgraded MLRS 9K51M Tornado-G have received a new engine and a full-fledged control system and high-precision guidance.

In the framework of this program, missiles with a range of about 40 km were created and put into production.

The information appeared in open sources that the perceptual guided high-precision missiles for Tornado-G and Tornado-S will receive not only new engines but also a homing system with an inertial satellite navigation system while maintaining the weight and general characteristics.

Thanks to these capabilities, the MLRS Tornado-G can attack not only area targets, but also point targets with known coordinates.

It was also stated that Tornado-G with new munitions will be able to simultaneously hit several targets located at a distance from each other from one salvo at the same time.

So, with a high degree of probability, and shortly, in the news publications, we will still hear about the new potential of Russian salvo launch missile systems and the benefits of such development.

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