Munitions

9M529 thermobaric rocket

Also known as
  • 9M529
  • 9М529
  • Smerch thermobaric rocket

The 9M529 is a Russian 300 mm thermobaric rocket for the BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch family. Rosoboronexport lists it as a Smerch round with a thermobaric warhead and a 25-90 km published range, while Missilery identifies the rocket as a 2004 design completed by NPO Splav and gives its weight, warhead, and container data.

9M529 thermobaric rocket, 300 mm thermobaric rocket, Munitions
Image source: BM-30 Smerch-5193 rocket image
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Built by
NPO Splav
Type
300 mm thermobaric rocket
Service note
2000s-present
Designer
NPO Splav
Designed
2004

Specifications

Caliber
300 mm
Launch platform
BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch
Range
25-90 km
Weight
815 kg
Length
7,600 mm
Warhead weight
243 kg
Explosive mixture
100 kg
Thermofield diameter
25 m
Self-destruction time
110-160 s
Container weight with two rockets
1,964 kg
Variants

The 9M529 sits in the later 25-90 km Smerch rocket group, where adjacent 9M52x and 9M53x designations separate warhead effects rather than launcher type.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocket, 300 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket, Munitions9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocketUnitary HE-fragmentation Smerch rocket

Missilery lists 9M528 in the same 25-90 km Smerch projectile group as the 9M529, with a detachable high-explosive fragmentation head instead of a thermobaric head.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M55S / 9M55C thermobaric rocketEarlier Smerch thermobaric rocket

Missilery lists 9M55C in the earlier up-to-70 km Smerch projectile group, while Army Recognition renders the same thermobaric designation as 9M55S in its Tornado-S unguided-rocket list.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system, Tornado-S 9K515 MLRS

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket, 300 mm guided rocket, Munitions9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocketPenetrating HE Smerch rocket

Missilery places 9M530 next to 9M529 in the Smerch projectile list and describes it as the penetrating high-explosive branch of the same extended-range family.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M531 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with cumulative-fragmentation submunitions, Munitions9M531 cumulative-fragmentation submunition rocketCumulative-fragmentation submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M531 as another 25-90 km Smerch projectile, distinguished from 9M529 by its cassette warhead with cumulative-fragmentation submunitions.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M533 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with 9N268 self-guiding submunitions, Munitions9M533 self-guiding submunition rocketSelf-guiding submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M533 in the same Smerch projectile group, carrying self-aiming 9N268 submunitions rather than a unitary thermobaric payload.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

Launch Platforms

The 9M529 is a 300 mm Smerch-family rocket. Rosoboronexport lists it for the Smerch launcher family, and the later 9K515 Tornado-S export page describes compatibility with Smerch rocket projectiles.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
BM-30 Smerch, 300 mm heavy multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryBM-30 Smerch300 mm multiple launch rocket system

Rosoboronexport lists 9M529 as a thermobaric rocket for the BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch family, and Missilery says the rocket is designed for use from the 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

Sources: 9M529 rocket, 9M529 rocket specs

Tornado-S, 300 mm multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryTornado-S300 mm multiple launch rocket system

Rosoboronexport describes the 9K515 Tornado-S export launcher as Smerch-derived and able to fire all rocket projectiles used by 9K58 Smerch, and Army Recognition explicitly lists 9M529 among Tornado-S unguided rockets.

Sources: 9M529 rocket, 300mm 9K515 MLRS, Tornado-S 9K515 MLRS

Thermobaric Rocket Context

The 9M529 is the thermobaric branch of the later Smerch 300 mm rocket set. Public catalog sources describe it as a unitary rocket for salvo fire against personnel in open terrain, open-type fortifications, and soft-skinned or lightly armoured materiel, while Human Rights Watch places 9M529 inside Russia's broader surface-fired enhanced-blast weapon inventory.

Payload effect

Missilery lists a 243 kg warhead with 100 kg of explosive mixture and a 25 m temperature-field diameter above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Launcher family

The same sources tie the rocket to the 9K58/BM-30 Smerch family; Rosoboronexport and Army Recognition also connect Smerch-family rockets to the 9K515 Tornado-S launcher.

Public documentation

The attached sources support design, payload, and launcher compatibility, but do not directly document a 9M529 firing or recovery in a named conflict.

Sources: 9M529 rocket; 9M529 rocket specs; 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system; 300mm 9K515 MLRS; Tornado-S 9K515 MLRS; Enhanced Blast Weapons in Ukraine.

Timeline

9M529 thermobaric rocket Key Events

  1. Smerch launcher adopted

    Missilery states that the 9K58 Smerch system was adopted by the Soviet Army in November 1987, establishing the launcher family for later 300 mm rocket variants.

    Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

  2. 9M529 export documentation approved

    Missilery cites 8 July 2004 export and advertising passport approvals for the 300 mm 9M529 thermobaric rocket and says work on the rocket was completed in 2004.

    Sources: 9M529 rocket specs

Media

9M529 thermobaric rocket Images

9M529 thermobaric rocket, 300 mm thermobaric rocket, Munitions - view 1
Source: File:BM-30 Smerch-5173.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocket, 300 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket, MunitionsMunitions9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocket300 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocketThe 9M528 is a Russian 300 mm high-explosive fragmentation artillery rocket for the 9K58/BM-30 Smerch family. It is the unitary blast-fragmentation option in the Smerch ammunition set, carrying a 243 kg warhead with 95 kg of explosive and 800 preformed fragments to a reported 90 km maximum range. Human Rights Watch linked the designation to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting after Azerbaijan's mine-action agency identified a 9M528 rocket at Ayrija in Goranboy district.

Sources

9M529 rocketPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export catalog page listing 9M529 as a 300 mm thermobaric rocket for the Smerch MLRS. | Accessed: 2026-07-019M529 rocket specsPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the 9M529's 2004 completion, NPO Splav attribution, launcher compatibility, and published technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-019K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket systemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Smerch launcher-family background, 1987 adoption context, and the 300 mm projectile group that includes the 9M529 and adjacent 9M52x/9M53x rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-01300mm 9K515 MLRSPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page supporting the 9K515 Tornado-S lineage from BM-30 Smerch and compatibility with all rocket projectiles used by 9K58 Smerch. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Tornado-S 9K515 MLRSPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Tornado-S background and explicitly lists 9M529 among unguided rockets that the 300 mm Tornado-S launcher can fire. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Enhanced Blast Weapons in UkrainePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports general enhanced-blast weapon context and lists 9M529 among known Russian surface-fired thermobaric weapons; not used as a direct conflict-use source for this record. | Accessed: 2026-07-01BM-30 Smerch-5193 rocket imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Primary image provenance for the rocket-display photo used on this page; the file page identifies a Smerch-family rocket and licenses it under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-01File:BM-30 Smerch-5173.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance for a Smerch launcher context photo, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-01