Munitions

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket

Also known as
  • 9M530
  • 9М530
  • 9M530 rocket
  • 9M530 Smerch rocket
  • 300 mm 9M530 rocket

The 9M530 is a Russian 300 mm guided rocket for the BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system. Unlike Smerch cargo rounds built around submunitions or scatterable mines, it carries a single penetrating high-explosive fragmentation warhead for hard or infrastructure targets, with Missilery tracing its export documentation to 30 September 2004 and official catalog material placing it in the Smerch rocket family.

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket, 300 mm guided rocket, Munitions
Image source: Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog page
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Built by
NPO Splav
Type
300 mm guided rocket
Service note
Completed in 2004; export-catalog Smerch-family munition
Designer
NPO Splav
Designed
2004

Specifications

Caliber
300 mm
Launch platform
BM-30 / 9K58 Smerch family
Weight
815 kg
Length
7,600 mm
Warhead
243 kg penetrating HE-frag warhead
Warhead length
2,049 mm
Explosive weight
75 kg
Ejectable soil volume
160 cubic meters
Range
25-90 km
Container weight
1,954 kg with two rockets
Operating temperature
-50 C to +50 C
Variants

The 9M530 sits among the later extended-range 300 mm Smerch rockets that Missilery groups separately from the earlier 9M55-series rounds.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
9M525 fragmentation submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with fragmentation submunitions, Munitions9M525 fragmentation submunition rocketExtended-range fragmentation submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M525 in the up-to-90 km Smerch projectile group as a cassette-warhead round with fragmentation submunitions.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M526 self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with self-guiding submunitions, Munitions9M526 self-guiding submunition rocketExtended-range self-guiding submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M526 in the same Smerch projectile group with Motiv-3M self-aiming submunitions.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M527 anti-tank mine rocket, 300 mm anti-tank mine cargo rocket, Munitions9M527 anti-tank mine rocketExtended-range remote-mining rocket

Missilery lists 9M527 as the Smerch projectile with a cassette warhead for anti-tank area mining.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocket, 300 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket, Munitions9M528 high-explosive fragmentation rocketExtended-range HE-fragmentation rocket

Missilery lists 9M528 in the same up-to-90 km Smerch projectile group with a detachable fragmentation high-explosive head.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M529 thermobaric rocket, 300 mm thermobaric rocket, Munitions9M529 thermobaric rocketExtended-range thermobaric rocket

Missilery lists 9M529 in the same Smerch projectile group with a thermobaric head.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

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

Missilery lists 9M531 as a Smerch cassette-warhead projectile with cumulative-fragmentation submunitions.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

9M532 miniature self-guiding submunition rocket, 300 mm rocket with miniature self-guiding submunitions, Munitions9M532 miniature self-guiding submunition rocketExtended-range miniature self-guiding submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M532 in the same Smerch group with small self-aiming 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 rocketExtended-range 9N268 submunition rocket

Missilery lists 9M533 as a Smerch projectile carrying self-aiming 9N268 submunitions.

Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

Launch Platforms

The 9M530 is a 300 mm Smerch-family rocket. Missilery names the 9K58 Smerch launcher directly, while Rosoboronexport describes Tornado-S as a Smerch-derived launcher able to fire 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 the 9M530 as a 300 mm rocket for the Smerch family, and Missilery says it is designed to use from the 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

Sources: Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog page, 9M530 rocket

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

Rosoboronexport describes the 9K515 Tornado-S as based on BM-30 Smerch and compatible with Smerch rocket projectiles; that supports launcher-family compatibility context but not a separate 9M530 conflict-use claim.

Sources: Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog page, 300mm 9K515 MLRS

Warhead and Target Set

The 9M530 is best read as the unitary penetrating-warhead branch of the extended-range Smerch rocket set, not as a cargo rocket carrying submunitions or mines. Public sources describe a 243 kg penetrating high-explosive fragmentation warhead with 75 kg of explosive content and a 25 to 90 km firing envelope.

TopicDocumented pointReader note
Target classMissilery describes ripple-fired 9M530 rockets as intended for hard infrastructure and military-industrial targets such as fortifications, airstrips, dams, and fuel storage.The role is different from the Smerch rockets that scatter mines or anti-armor submunitions.
Penetrating effectThe listed warhead is a penetrating high-explosive fragmentation head, with Missilery also giving a 160 cubic meter ejectable-soil figure.The catalog treats those figures as weapon-design data, not as evidence of a documented combat strike.
Conflict evidence boundaryThe launcher family has documented use in several conflicts, but the sources reviewed for this record do not directly identify 9M530 remnants, firing, or transfer in a named conflict.The record therefore remains relationship-only and links to launcher records for broader Smerch and Tornado-S conflict context.

Sources: Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog page; 9M530 rocket; 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

Timeline

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket Key Events

  1. Smerch launcher accepted for Soviet service

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

    Sources: 9K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket system

  2. 9M530 export documentation approved

    Missilery lists 30 September 2004 export and advertising passport approvals for the 300 mm 9M530 rocket with a penetrating high-explosive warhead.

    Sources: 9M530 rocket

Media

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket Images

9M530 penetrating high-explosive rocket, 300 mm guided rocket, Munitions - view 1
Source: Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog page
Related Weapon Systems
BM-30 Smerch, 300 mm heavy multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryArtilleryBM-30 Smerch300 mm heavy multiple launch rocket systemThe BM-30 Smerch, also designated 9K58, is a Soviet-designed heavy multiple launch rocket system built around 300 mm rockets and a 12-tube launcher on an 8x8 wheeled chassis. Its ammunition family includes high-explosive, cargo, mine-laying, sensor-fuzed, and thermobaric rounds, making Smerch a deep-fire artillery system rather than a front-line direct-fire weapon. In Ukraine, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh, documented Smerch-family remnants and firing reports tie the launcher to long-range area fires, including cluster-munition attacks.

Sources

Rosoboronexport 9M530 catalog pagePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export catalog page naming the 9M530 as a 300 mm rocket with a penetrating high-explosive warhead for the Smerch MLRS and showing the catalog image. | Accessed: 2026-06-299M530 rocketPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the 9M530's specifications, 30 September 2004 export documentation, target-set description, Smerch compatibility, and drawing provenance from NPO Splav. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Munition, rocket, 9M530Publisher: METIS | Note: Supports the extended-range guided-rocket description and the Russian Federation country-of-manufacture listing. | Accessed: 2026-06-299K58 Smerch multiple launch rocket systemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Smerch launcher-family background, 1987 adoption context, and the extended-range projectile group that includes 9M530 and related 9M52x/9M53x rockets. | Accessed: 2026-06-29300mm 9K515 MLRSPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page supporting 9K515 Tornado-S lineage from BM-30 Smerch and compatibility with Smerch rocket projectiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-29