Profile
- Origin
- Russia
- Built by
- NPO Splav
- Type
- 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions
- Service note
- 2000s-present
- Designer
- NPO Splav
- Designed
- 2004
Munitions
9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket
Also known as
- 9M533
- 9М533
- 9M533 rocket
- 9M533 Smerch rocket
The 9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket is a Russian extended-range 300 mm Smerch-family round carrying five 9N268 sensor-fuzed anti-armor submunitions. Rosoboronexport and Missilery describe it as a top-attack rocket for armored groupings and tanks, while METIS treats it as closely related to the 9M55K6 but fitted with a different rocket motor.
Profile / Specs
Specifications
- Caliber
- 300 mm
- Weight
- 815 kg
- Length
- 7,600 mm
- Warhead weight
- 243 kg
- Warhead length
- 2,049 mm
- Submunitions
- 5 9N268 self-guiding submunitions
- Submunition weight
- 17.25-17.3 kg each
- Submunition diameter
- 185 mm
- Submunition length
- 384 mm
- Submunition explosive weight
- 5.8 kg
- Range
- 25-90 km
- Two-rocket container weight
- 1,964 kg
- Armor penetration
- 120 mm homogeneous armor at 200 m and 30 degrees from normal
- Temperature range
- +/-50 degrees C
Sensor-Fuzed Payload
The 9M533's defining feature is the 9N268 sensor-fuzed payload rather than the 300 mm rocket body alone.
| Element | Documented detail | Reader note |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier rocket | Extended-range 300 mm Smerch-family rocket with a listed 25-90 km firing envelope. | Places the round in the longer-range Smerch ammunition group rather than the original 70 km 9M55 set. |
| Submunition load | Five 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, each listed around 17.25-17.3 kg with 5.8 kg of explosive content. | Explains why the round is cataloged as an anti-armor cluster munition. |
| Attack profile | Rosoboronexport and Missilery describe the round as intended to attack armored groupings and tanks from above. | The claim describes intended munition role, not a documented conflict-use row for this exact rocket. |
Sources: Rosoboronexport 9M533 catalog page; 9M533 rocket | Missilery.info; Munition, rocket, 9M533 | METIS.
Variants
The 9M533 sits in the extended-range 300 mm Smerch rocket set and is closely related to other self-guiding submunition rounds.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Standard-range 9N268 submunition rocket | METIS describes the 9M533 as essentially the same as the 9M55K6 apart from the rocket motor fitted. Sources: Munition, rocket, 9M533 | METIS |
 | Related extended-range self-guiding submunition rocket | Missilery's Smerch family overview places the 9M526 and 9M533 in the same up-to-90 km group of 300 mm rocket projectiles. |
Launch Platforms
The 9M533 is documented as a 300 mm Smerch-family rocket for BM-30 / 9K58 launchers, with later Tornado-S compatibility listed in open reference profiles.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 300 mm multiple launch rocket system | Missilery and Rosoboronexport identify the 9M533 as a 300 mm rocket for the Smerch multiple launch rocket system. Sources: 9M533 rocket | Missilery.info, Rosoboronexport 9M533 catalog page |
 | 300 mm multiple launch rocket system | Army Recognition lists the 9M533 among the legacy Smerch-family rockets that Tornado-S can fire. Sources: Tornado-S 9K515 MLRS |
Timeline
9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket Key Events
Export documentation approved
Missilery cites 9M533 export and advertising passport records approved on 2004-09-30 for the 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions.
Sources: 9M533 rocket | Missilery.info
9N268 submunition displayed at Army forum
Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that 9N268 self-guiding submunitions for 9M533 Smerch rockets were displayed at the Army military-technical forum in Moscow Oblast.
Sources: Russian Smerch video and 9N268 overview
Conflict-Use Sourcing Boundary
Public reporting documents Smerch-family launchers and other Smerch rockets in several conflicts, but it does not directly identify 9M533 remnants, firing, transfer, or battlefield recovery in a named war. Missilery's system overview lists launcher-family conflict use, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta linked 2022 Smerch combat footage with 9M533 and 9N268 technical context, but neither source gives a direct conflict-use identification for this exact rocket.
Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system; Russian Smerch video and 9N268 overview.
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
9M533 rocket | Missilery.infoPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports 9M533 identification, 30 September 2004 export documentation, 9N268 submunition details, Smerch-launcher compatibility, technical specifications, and image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-019K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket systemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Smerch-family launcher context, NPO Splav background, the extended-range rocket family list that includes 9M526 and 9M533, and the boundary between launcher-family conflict use and exact 9M533 conflict-use evidence. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Munition, rocket, 9M533 | METISPublisher: Fenix Insight | Note: Supports the 9M533 designation, Russian Federation manufacture context, 9N268 sensor-fuzed submunition payload, normal 9K58 launch relationship, and the note that the round is essentially the same as 9M55K6 except for the rocket motor. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Rosoboronexport 9M533 catalog pagePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export catalog page supporting the 9M533's Smerch MLRS relationship, 9N268 self-guiding submunition payload, top-attack anti-armor role, and listed specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Tornado-S 9K515 MLRSPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Tornado-S launch compatibility for legacy Smerch-family rockets including the 9M533. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Russian Smerch video and 9N268 overviewPublisher: Rossiyskaya Gazeta | Note: Supports the 2017 display context for 9N268 submunitions and a sourcing-boundary note: the article discusses Russian Smerch use in Ukraine and 9M533 technical context, but does not directly identify a 9M533 round fired or recovered in that conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-01