ARES documented 9M55K cargo-rocket remnants and an unexploded 9N235 submunition near Kafr Zita in Hama governorate in February 2014, while noting uncertainty about how Syria obtained the rockets and firing systems.
Role detailsMunitions
9M55K cargo rocket
Also known as
- 9M55K
- 9M55K Smerch rocket
- 9M55K cluster rocket
- 9M55K cargo rocket with 9N235 submunitions
- 9M55K-series Smerch cluster rocket
The 9M55K is a Soviet/Russian 300 mm Smerch cargo rocket that disperses 72 9N235 fragmentation submunitions from a 9K58 / BM-30 Smerch-family launcher. Official export data and open-source investigations place it in the 20 to 70 km Smerch rocket family, while conflict reporting documents the rocket in Syria, Ukraine, and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Role in Conflicts
ARES, OSCE, Bellingcat, Human Rights Watch, and Cluster Munition Monitor reporting document 9M55K-series Smerch rockets with 9N235 or 9N210/9N235 submunitions in Ukraine, including 2014-2015 use by both sides and 2022 attacks such as Kharkiv.
Role details- Role in conflict
- Area-effect cluster rocket fire
Human Rights Watch identified 9M55K Smerch rockets containing 9N235 submunitions during the 2020 conflict and found evidence that Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh forces used Smerch cluster munition rockets.
Documented Theater Evidence
Open-source and monitoring reports identify the 9M55K by its Smerch rocket body, 300 mm cargo section, and associated 9N235 fragmentation submunitions. Attribution is source-dependent: Syria reporting leaves the supply path uncertain, while Ukraine and Karabakh sources provide more specific side or force context.
| Conflict | Documented evidence | Attribution caveat |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Syrian Civil War | 9M55K rocket remnants and an unexploded 9N235 submunition around Kafr Zita. | ARES assessed use in Syria but noted uncertainty over how the weapons and launch systems were obtained. |
| 2014 Russia-Ukraine War | 9M55K-series Smerch remnants, 9N235/9N210 submunitions, and monitoring reports in 2014-2015 and after February 2022. | Sources identify both Russian and Ukrainian stocks and use, with specific 2022 incidents attributed to Russian forces in several reports. |
| 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict | 9M55K Smerch rockets containing 9N235 submunitions during the 2020 fighting. | Human Rights Watch attributed evidence of Smerch cluster-rocket use to Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh forces. |
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Russia
- Built by
- NPO Splav
- Type
- 300 mm cluster cargo rocket
- Service note
- Late Soviet period to present
- Designer
- Splav State Research and Production Association
- Designed
- Late Soviet period
- Produced
- Soviet and Russian production
Specifications
- Caliber
- 300 mm
- Launch platform
- 9K58 / BM-30 Smerch family; compatible with 9K515 Tornado-S
- Range
- 20-70 km
- Weight
- 800 kg
- Length
- 7,600 mm
- Warhead weight
- 243 kg
- Payload
- 72 x 9N235 fragmentation submunitions
- Submunition weight
- 1.75 kg
- Submunition explosive fill
- 0.32 kg
- Submunition self-destruct time
- 110 seconds
- Propulsion
- Solid-propellant rocket motor
Variants
The 9M55 Smerch family uses the same 300 mm launcher class with different warheads; the 9M55K designation is the fragmentation-submunition cargo round carrying 72 9N235 submunitions.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Sensor-fuzed submunition round | ARES lists 9M55K1 as the Smerch-family rocket with a sensor-fuzed submunition warhead, distinct from the 9M55K fragmentation-submunition payload. Sources: 9M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in Syria |
 | Anti-tank mine-scattering round | ARES lists 9M55K4 as the Smerch-family rocket with an anti-tank mine-scattering warhead. Sources: 9M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in Syria |
 | Shaped-charge fragmentation submunition round | ARES lists 9M55K5 as the Smerch-family rocket with shaped-charge fragmentation submunitions rather than the 9M55K's 9N235 fragmentation submunitions. Sources: 9M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in Syria |
Carried Submunitions
The 9M55K is the fragmentation-submunition cargo member of the Smerch rocket family.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | High-explosive fragmentation submunition | Rosoboronexport, ARES, and Human Rights Watch identify the 9M55K as a 300 mm Smerch cargo rocket carrying 72 9N235 fragmentation submunitions. Sources: Rosoboronexport 9M55K catalog page, 9M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in Syria, Technical Briefing Note: Cluster Munition Use in Ukraine |
Launch Platforms
The 9M55K is a Smerch-family rocket fired from 300 mm multiple-launch rocket systems.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 300 mm multiple launch rocket system | ARES identifies the 9M55K as fired from the 9K58 Smerch, and CAT-UXO describes the 9M55-series rocket as a BM-30 heavy multiple-launch rocket-system projectile. Sources: 9M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in Syria, 300mm smerch 9m55 rocket |
 | 300 mm multiple launch rocket system | Rosoboronexport describes the 9K515 Tornado-S export launcher as based on Smerch and able to fire all rocket projectiles used by the 9K58 Smerch. Sources: 300mm 9K515 MLRS |
Timeline
9M55K cargo rocket Key Events
Syria use documented
ARES documented 9M55K cargo-rocket components and 9N235 submunition evidence from the Kafr Zita area in Syria.
Ukraine use reported near Kramatorsk
ARES reported imagery and video suggesting 9M55K cargo rockets with 9N235 submunitions had been used near Kramatorsk.
OSCE identifies 9M55K rocket parts in Luhansk
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission identified rocket parts in Luhansk as consistent with 9M55K Smerch rockets and described cluster-munition damage in the affected residential area.
Karabakh conflict technical note
Human Rights Watch published a technical note identifying 9M55K Smerch rockets with 9N235 submunitions during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Full-scale invasion reporting
Human Rights Watch reported 9M55K-series Smerch cluster rocket use in Kharkiv during the February 2022 escalation of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Media
9M55K cargo rocket Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Rosoboronexport 9M55K catalog pagePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export catalog page supporting the 9M55K designation, Smerch launcher role, 20-70 km range, 800 kg rocket weight, 243 kg warhead, 7,600 mm length, 72 submunitions, 1.75 kg submunition weight, 0.32 kg submunition explosive fill, and 110 second self-destruction time. | Accessed: 2026-06-299M55K Cargo Rockets and 9N235 Submunitions in SyriaPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Directly supports 2011 Syrian Civil War use by documenting 9M55K cargo-rocket remnants and a nearby 9N235 submunition around Kafr Zita; also supports 9M55K technical data and adjacent 9M55-family variant distinctions. | Accessed: 2026-06-299M55K cargo rockets and 9N235 submunitions in UkrainePublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting likely 9M55K cargo rockets carrying 9N235 fragmentation submunitions near Kramatorsk in 2014, while noting attribution limits. | Accessed: 2026-06-29OSCE Luhansk cluster munition spot reportPublisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by identifying rocket parts in Luhansk as consistent with 9M55K Smerch rockets and describing cluster-munition damage in a residential area. | Accessed: 2026-06-29These are the Cluster Munitions Documented by Ukrainian CiviliansPublisher: Bellingcat | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by identifying 9M55K and 9M27K cluster rockets with 9N210 or 9N235 submunitions as common documented cluster munitions in Ukraine after February 2022. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Intense and Lasting HarmPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting 9M55K-series Smerch cluster rocket use in Kharkiv on February 28, 2022, and supports the 20-70 km range and 72-submunition payload context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Ukraine Cluster Munition Ban PolicyPublisher: Cluster Munition Monitor | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by summarizing independent investigations that found Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed anti-government forces used 300 mm 9M55K-series Smerch cluster rockets with 72 9N235 submunitions in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Technical Briefing Note: Cluster Munition Use in the Karabakh ConflictPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict use by identifying 9M55K Smerch rockets containing 9N235 submunitions in the 2020 conflict and evidence that Armenia or Nagorno-Karabakh forces used Smerch cluster munition rockets. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Technical Briefing Note: Cluster Munition Use in UkrainePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports technical and manufacturer background by citing Splav data for the 300 mm 9M55K Smerch rocket carrying 72 9N235 submunitions during HRW's Ukraine cluster-munition review. | Accessed: 2026-06-29300mm smerch 9m55 rocketPublisher: CAT-UXO | Note: Supports identification of the 9M55 as a cargo-carrier, fin-stabilised, solid-propellant artillery rocket fired from the BM-30 heavy Multiple Launch Rocket System. | Accessed: 2026-06-29300mm 9K515 MLRSPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page supporting Tornado-S / 9K515 compatibility with all rocket projectiles used by the 9K58 Smerch MLRS. | Accessed: 2026-06-29BM-30 Smerch-5193 rocket imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Smerch rocket image used on this entry; the file page identifies it as a rocket of the 9K58 Smerch system under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-29BM-30 Smerch-5173 rocket imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the secondary Smerch rocket image; the file page identifies a 300 mm Smerch rocket exhibit under CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-29