Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
- Type
- 220 mm cargo rocket carrying anti-tank mines with directional charges
- Service note
- Late Cold War to present
- Produced
- Completed in 1989
Munitions
9M59 anti-tank mine rocket
Also known as
- 9M59
- 9M59 Nebula
- Nebula
- Uragan 9M59
- 9М59
- РС 9М59
The 9M59 is a Soviet 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket for remote anti-tank minefield laying with nine PTM-3 or PTM-3G magnetic-influence mines. Missilery identifies the "Nebula" round as completed in 1989 and accepted into Soviet Army service, while GICHD and U.S. Army T2COM place it in the PTM-3 scatterable-mine delivery family alongside smaller Grad and larger Smerch rockets.
Profile / Specs
Specifications
- Caliber
- 220 mm
- Payload
- 9 PTM-3 / PTM-3G anti-tank mines
- Weight
- 270 kg
- Length
- 5,178 mm
- Warhead weight
- 89.5 kg
- Mine weight
- 4.85 kg per mine
- Mine explosive charge
- 1.85 kg per mine
- Mine explosive composition
- TG-40, a 60/40 RDX/TNT fill
- Mine fuze
- BT-06 magnetic influence fuze
- Mine arming time
- About 60 seconds after deployment
- Range
- 10-35 km
- Self-destruct time
- 16-24 hours
Variants
The 9M59 sits in the 220 mm Uragan remote mine-laying and cargo-rocket family, alongside 9M27-series carrier rounds with different mine or submunition payloads.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Related 220 mm Uragan anti-vehicle mine rocket | ARES and GICHD list the 9M27K2 as the Uragan cargo rocket carrying 24 PTM-1 anti-vehicle mines, distinguishing it from the 9M59's nine PTM-3 payload. Sources: 9M27K series cargo rockets used in Ukraine, Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine | GICHD |
 | Related 220 mm Uragan mine-scattering rocket | ARES and GICHD list the 9M27K3 as the Uragan cargo rocket carrying PFM-series anti-personnel mines, giving readers the adjacent mine-laying branch of the same launcher family. Sources: 9M27K series cargo rockets used in Ukraine, Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine | GICHD |
Launch Platforms
The 9M59 is a mine-laying Uragan rocket documented for the BM-27/9K57 launcher family and for Bureviy launchers that can fire 220 mm Uragan-family rockets.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 220 mm multiple launch rocket system | Army Guide lists the 9M59 among the BM-27's rocket types, Missilery identifies it as a 220 mm Uragan rocket for remote anti-tank minefield laying, and GICHD describes the 9M27/Uragan rocket series as launched by the 9K57/BM-27 system. Sources: Multiple rocket launcher RS30 9K57 Uragan, Unguided rocket projectile 9M59, Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine | GICHD |
 | 220 mm multiple launch rocket system | Defense Express says Bureviy can fire 220 mm rockets including 9M59, while Missilery and GICHD identify 9M59 as the Uragan mine-laying rocket carrying PTM-3 mines. Sources: Armed Forces of Ukraine Use New Bureviy MLRS at the Front Line, Ukraine develops new Bureviy heavy rocket artillery system, Unguided rocket projectile 9M59, Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine | GICHD |
PTM-3 Delivery Family
The 9M59 is the Uragan member of a wider PTM-3 remote mine-laying set. GICHD identifies PTM-3 as a scatterable magnetic-influence anti-vehicle mine, and U.S. Army T2COM contrasts the 9M59 load with smaller Grad and larger Smerch delivery rockets.
Uragan load
9M59 carries nine PTM-3 or PTM-3G anti-tank mines in a 220 mm cargo rocket for BM-27-family launchers.
Missilery, GICHD, Army Guide, and T2COM support the nine-mine Uragan load.
Mine behavior
PTM-3 uses a magnetic-influence fuze and a shaped charge intended to attack vehicle underside armor after remote deployment.
GICHD gives about 60 seconds to arming and a 16-24 hour self-destruction window.
Scale comparison
T2COM describes Grad-class PTM-3 rockets as three-mine carriers and Smerch-class rockets as 25-mine carriers, placing 9M59 between them.
The cataloged Smerch examples are 9M55K4 and the later 9M527 rocket.
The adjacent PTM-3 rocket family is already represented by related catalog entries: 122 mm 9M28K Grad rocket for the three-mine Grad class, 9M55K4 Smerch rocket for the 25-mine Smerch class, and 9M527 anti-tank mine rocket for a later Smerch-family PTM-3 carrier.
Timeline
9M59 anti-tank mine rocket Key Events
9M59 Nebula accepted into Soviet service
Missilery identifies the 9M59 "Nebula" as a 220 mm Uragan remote anti-tank mine-laying rocket completed in 1989 and accepted into Soviet Army service by a USSR Ministry of Defense order dated November 28, 1989.
Sources: Unguided rocket projectile 9M59
Bureviy compatibility reported
Defense Express reported that Ukraine's Bureviy 220 mm launcher could fire 220 mm rockets including the 9M59, extending the round's documented launcher context beyond the original BM-27 family.
Sources: Armed Forces of Ukraine Use New Bureviy MLRS at the Front Line
Media
9M59 anti-tank mine rocket Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Unguided rocket projectile 9M59Publisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the 9M59 designation, Nebula nickname, 1989 completion and Soviet Army service, 220 mm dimensions, 270 kg weight, 5,178 mm length, nine-mine PTM-3G payload, range, self-destruct timing, temperature range, and image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Multiple rocket launcher RS30 9K57 UraganPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Splav manufacturer attribution for the Uragan family and identifies 9M59 as one of the system's rocket types, with 220 mm mine-laying context, nine anti-tank mines, 250-hectare coverage, and directional charge details. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Ukraine develops new Bureviy heavy rocket artillery systemPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Bureviy compatibility with current Uragan and Typhoon 2 rockets, including anti-tank-mine cargo rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine | GICHDPublisher: Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining | Note: Supports PTM-3 recognition context, the mine's magnetic-influence anti-vehicle role, TG-40 explosive fill, approximate arming time, KPTM-3 canister delivery, 16-24 hour self-destruction timing, and the listing of BM-27 Uragan 9M59 as a nine-PTM-3 delivery rocket. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Russian remote mining article | T2COMPublisher: U.S. Army T2COM G2 Operational Environment Enterprise | Note: Supports Russian remote-mining context and identifies the BM-27 Uragan 9M59 as a practical MLRS method for deploying nine PTM-3 anti-tank mines, contrasted with three-mine Grad and 25-mine Smerch rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-059M27K series cargo rockets used in UkrainePublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports 9K57 Uragan rocket-family context and lists the 9M59 as the 220 mm Uragan rocket carrying nine PTM-3 anti-tank mines. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Armed Forces of Ukraine Use New Bureviy MLRS at the Front LinePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Bureviy frontline context and reports that Bureviy can fire 220 mm rockets including the 9M59. | Accessed: 2026-07-05File: PTM-3.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance source for the PTM-3 payload-context gallery image, sourced to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and marked CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-059M527 rocket | Missilery.infoPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the 9M527 as a 9K58 Smerch-family remote anti-tank mine-laying rocket carrying 25 PTM-3 or PTM-3M mines with 16-24 hour self-destruction timing. | Accessed: 2026-07-059M28K rocket | DeagelPublisher: Deagel | Note: Supports the 122 mm 9M28K Grad anti-tank mine-laying rocket context, including three 5 kg anti-tank mines, 1.85 kg explosive charge per mine, 16-24 hour self-destruction, and Grad launcher family attribution. | Accessed: 2026-07-05