ISWAP used captured Grad-compatible 122 mm rockets in attacks on Maiduguri, Diffa, and Buni Yadi, including improvised pickup-mounted launch tubes reported in 2020; UNMAS separately documented unexploded 122 mm rockets from the February 2019 Maiduguri attack.
Munitions
122 mm Katyusha rocket
Also known as
- 122 mm Grad rocket
- 122mm Grad rocket
- Katyusha rocket
- Grad rocket
- 122 mm BM-21 rocket
- M-21OF rocket family
- 9M22 rocket family
- 122 mm MRL rocket
The 122 mm Katyusha rocket is the umbrella Grad-style unguided artillery rocket family associated with BM-21 launchers, Grad-P single-round launchers, and improvised rails. It is useful where sources identify Katyusha, Grad, or 122 mm rockets without naming a precise projectile model; direct conflict records document ISWAP use in the Lake Chad basin, Hezbollah salvos from Lebanon, and pro-Houthi rocket fire in Yemen.
Role in Conflicts
- Side
- Hezbollah
Hezbollah fired Katyusha rocket salvos from Lebanon into northern Israel during the post-October 2023 conflict, including April and June 2024 attacks on Israeli artillery positions and military sites and an August 2024 strike in which Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets at Israeli bases and barracks.
Pro-Houthi forces fired unguided 122 mm rockets into Aden neighborhoods in July 2015; Human Rights Watch documented 122 mm rocket remnants and assessed the impacts as coming from pro-Houthi positions, while CSIS later identified 122 mm Katyusha rockets among weapons supplied to the Houthis.
Role detailsProfile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union design family; widely copied and supplied by multiple states
- Built by
- NPO SplavVarious manufacturers
- Type
- Unguided 122 mm artillery rocket
- Service note
- Cold War-origin munition family in continued irregular and state use
- Designer
- Soviet rocket-artillery design lineage associated with the BM-21 Grad family
- Designed
- Early 1960s for the BM-21/M-21 field rocket system
- Unit cost
- Varies by producer and rocket type
- Produced
- 1960s-present for 122 mm Grad-compatible rocket families
- Number built
- Large-scale production across Soviet, Russian, licensed, and foreign-copy lines
Specifications
- Caliber
- 122 mm
- Guidance
- Unguided, fin-stabilized artillery rocket
- Common rocket length
- About 2.87 m for the 9M22 family
- Common rocket weight
- About 66 kg for the 9M22 family
- Warhead
- High-explosive fragmentation; common 9M22 warhead about 18.4 kg
- Range
- About 20.75 km for common 9M22 rockets; some compatible extended-range rockets reach around 40 km
- Launch platforms
- BM-21 Grad-type multiple rocket launchers, compatible foreign launchers, and improvised single-rocket mounts
Variants
This page covers the generic 122 mm Katyusha/Grad rocket identity used in conflict reporting when sources do not identify a precise projectile. Linked rows below point to cataloged Grad-family rockets where public sources name the specific designation.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Standard HE-fragmentation branch | Missilery places M-21OF / 9M22-family rockets in the original Grad field rocket system, while Forecast International describes the M-21-OF DB-1B (9M22U) as the standard long rocket compatible with BM-21 versions. Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info, BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System |
 | Incendiary branch | Missilery describes the MZ-21 / 9M22S as an incendiary rocket added to the BM-21 ammunition set in 1971. |
| Smoke-screen branch | Missilery lists 9M43 among M-21/Grad-family ammunition, separating it from high-explosive, incendiary, illumination, and other specialized projectile branches. |
| Illumination branch | Missilery places 9M42 illumination rounds inside the wider M-21/Grad ammunition family rather than treating them as separate launch systems. |
| Shorter HE-fragmentation branch | Forecast International distinguishes the shorter 9M28/DZK-B branch from the long M-21-OF rocket and notes its compatibility with Grad-1, Grad-V, and portable or towed launcher contexts. |
 | Extended-range HE-fragmentation branch | Missilery's Grad-family coverage and the cataloged 9M521 record place this rocket in the later extended-range 122 mm Grad-compatible family. |
 | Extended-range HE-fragmentation branch | Missilery's Grad-family coverage and the cataloged 9M522 record place this rocket in the later extended-range 122 mm Grad-compatible family. |
Launch Platforms
Missilery documents the 9P132 Grad-P as a launcher for 9M22M-class 122 mm rockets.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 122 mm multiple rocket launcher | AOAV describes the BM-21 Grad as a truck-mounted 122 mm MLRS that can fire 40 122 mm rockets, making it a documented launcher for this rocket family. Sources: What is a grad?, BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System |
 | Single-round man-portable launcher | The 9P132 Portable Unit is described as firing 9M22M 122 mm unguided rocket projectiles from a light tripod launcher. |
Family Boundary
The public reporting behind this page often uses broad labels such as Katyusha, Grad, or 122 mm rocket when the exact projectile is not recoverable from open sources. The catalog keeps that evidence here, while separately linking specific Grad-family rounds when sources identify a designation such as 9M22U, 9M22S, 9M43, 9M42, 9M28F, 9M521, or 9M522.
Umbrella use
Use this entry for conflict evidence that names the 122 mm Katyusha or Grad-family rocket but not a precise model.
Specific records
Linked variant rows cover identified high-explosive, incendiary, smoke, illumination, and extended-range Grad-family rockets.
Launcher context
Sources support firing from BM-21-type launchers, the Grad-P single-round launcher, and improvised launch arrangements with reduced precision.
Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info; What is a grad?; Grad-P lightweight portable jet system; 9M22 Grad series - Open Source Munitions Portal.
Timeline
122 mm Katyusha rocket Key Events
Grad development ordered
Missilery traces the start of the M-21/Grad field rocket system to a Soviet Council of Ministers decision that launched development work in 1960.
Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info
M-21 / Grad system accepted
The same Missilery history links the March 1963 adoption decision to the M-21 field rocket system, including the BM-21 launch vehicle and M-21OF unguided rockets.
Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info
9M22 rocket production begins
Missilery reports series production of the 9M22 rocket for the Grad multiple rocket system beginning in 1964.
Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info
Incendiary branch added
Missilery says the BM-21 ammunition set was supplemented in 1971 by the MZ-21 / 9M22S incendiary rocket.
Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info
Hezbollah reports large Katyusha salvo
Al Jazeera reported Hezbollah's statement that it fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets at Israeli bases and barracks during the August 2024 escalation.
Sources: Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel
Media
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
What is a grad?Publisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: Supports background, common 122 mm Grad rocket specifications, launcher compatibility, manufacturer context, and the distinction between full Grad systems and single Katyusha-style rocket use. | Accessed: 2026-07-03M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.infoPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Grad/M-21 design history, the 1960 development order, 1963 adoption, 1964 9M22 production, 1971 9M22S addition, M-21OF family terminology, launcher compatibility, and the wider 122 mm Grad-compatible family boundary. | Accessed: 2026-07-039M22 Grad series - Open Source Munitions PortalPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports the generic 9M22 Grad-series identity as 122 mm unguided artillery rockets with multiple payload branches, normally fired from BM-21-type launchers but also documented from single, double-barrel, or improvised launch arrangements. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Grad-P lightweight portable jet systemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports launcher compatibility: Missilery documents the 9P132 Portable Unit firing 9M22M 122 mm rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-03ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, TroopsPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP used captured 122 mm Grad rockets in Maiduguri and Diffa attacks and fielded improvised launch tubes reportedly used to target Buni Yadi. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Insurgents In Northeast Nigeria, Lake Chad Reusing Seized Military WeaponsPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP used Grad rockets to target Maiduguri, Buni Yadi, Diffa, Doksa, and Goniri after 122 mm rockets were looted from Nigerian military stocks. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Mitigation Capacities of Security Service Providers in North-East NigeriaPublisher: UNMAS | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: documents 122 mm rockets fired during the February 23, 2019 Maiduguri rocket attack, including unexploded rockets near a school and an IDP camp. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Hezbollah Fires Big Salvo of Rockets at Israel After Senior Commander KilledPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct-use context: Hezbollah fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israeli military sites during June 2024 fighting. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Lebanon's Hezbollah Fires Dozens of Rockets at Israeli PositionsPublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct-use context: Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israeli artillery positions in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah Launches Rockets at IsraelPublisher: Al Jazeera | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict direct-use context: Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets at Israeli military bases and barracks during the August 25, 2024 escalation. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Yemen: Houthi Artillery Kills Dozens in AdenPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: 122 mm unguided rockets were fired by pro-Houthi forces into Aden neighborhoods in July 2015. | Accessed: 2026-07-03The Iranian and Houthi War against Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War supply context: 122-millimeter Katyusha rockets were supplied to Houthi forces as part of Iranian support. | Accessed: 2026-07-03BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket SystemPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports launcher compatibility and background: Forecast International describes the BM-21 family as a 122 mm multiple launch rocket system with standard 122 mm rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Soviet 122 mm Artillery Rocket ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain photograph of a Soviet 122 mm artillery rocket used in BM-21 Grad launchers. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Soviet 122 mm Rocket Tail Fins ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain photograph showing the tail stabilizing fins of a Soviet 122 mm Grad rocket. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Grad 2000 122 mm Rocket Display ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY-SA 4.0 photograph of a Grad 2000 122 mm MLRS rocket displayed at Partner 2015. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Unexploded 122 mm MRL Projectile ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY-SA 4.0 photograph of an unexploded 122 mm BM-21 Grad projectile in Sri Lanka. | Accessed: 2026-07-03