Munitions

9N235 cluster submunition

Also known as
  • 9N235
  • 9H235
  • 9N235 fragmentation submunition
  • 9N235 bomblet
  • 9N235 Smerch submunition
  • 9N235 Uragan submunition

The 9N235 is a Soviet/Russian fin-stabilized high-explosive fragmentation submunition dispersed by Smerch and Uragan cargo rockets. Open-source ordnance investigations and humanitarian monitors document it in Syria, Ukraine, and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, where it appears as an area-effect rocket-artillery payload rather than a standalone fired weapon.

9N235 cluster submunition, High-explosive fragmentation cluster submunition, Munitions
Image source: Commons 9N235 cassette image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Russia
Built by
NPO Splav
Type
High-explosive fragmentation cluster submunition
Service note
Late Cold War to present rocket-artillery service
Designer
Soviet defense industry
Designed
Late Soviet period
Produced
Soviet and Russian production

Specifications

Munition class
Fin-stabilized high-explosive fragmentation submunition
Length
263 mm
Diameter
65 mm
Weight
About 1.75 kg
Explosive filler
About 312 g A-IX-10 explosive composition
Fragments
About 96 fragments of 4.5 g and 360 fragments of 0.75 g
Fuze
9E272 impact fuze with self-destruct mechanism
Stabilization
Six folding fins after ejection from the cargo rocket
Carrier rockets
72 carried by a 300 mm 9M55K Smerch rocket; 30 carried by a 220 mm 9M27K1 Uragan rocket
Identification Notes

The 9N235 is usually identified from submunition markings, cargo-rocket remnants, or the rocket type documented at the scene. Because the 9N210 and 9N235 are visually similar, several Ukraine sources report the pair together unless markings allow a narrower identification.

Field identification

ARES documents markings and carrier-rocket context as key evidence for distinguishing 9N235 from the similar 9N210.

Payload role

The submunition disperses fragmentation over an area after release from cargo rockets rather than being aimed or fired independently.

Unexploded hazard

Human Rights Watch and demining image sources document unexploded 9N210/9N235-category bomblets in Ukraine-war cleanup contexts.

Sources: ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022; CAT-UXO 9N235 submunition; HRW Ukraine cluster munition technical note.

Variants

Open-source ordnance references often discuss 9N235 together with the externally similar 9N210; visible markings and carrier-rocket context are important for precise field identification.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
9N210 fragmentation submunitionExternally similar companion submunition

CAT-UXO and ARES distinguish 9N235 from the similar 9N210, and Ukraine-war reporting often groups them unless markings or other identifying features are visible.

Sources: CAT-UXO 9N235 submunition, ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022

Carrier Rockets

The 9N235 is documented as a submunition carried by 300 mm Smerch-family and 220 mm Uragan cargo rockets.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
9M55K cargo rocket, 300 mm cluster cargo rocket, Munitions9M55K cargo rocket300 mm cargo rocket

ARES, Human Rights Watch, and Rosoboronexport-derived technical data identify the 9M55K as a Smerch cargo rocket carrying 72 9N235 fragmentation submunitions.

Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Syria, ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Ukraine, HRW Karabakh cluster munition technical note

9M27K1 cargo rocket, 220 mm Uragan cluster cargo rocket carrying 30 9N235 submunitions, Munitions9M27K1 cargo rocket220 mm cargo rocket

ARES and Human Rights Watch identify the 9M27K1 as a 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket that carries 30 9N235 or 9N210/9N235 submunitions.

Sources: ARES 9M27K series in Ukraine, HRW Ukraine cluster munition technical note

Timeline

9N235 cluster submunition Key Events

  1. 9N235 evidence documented in Syria

    ARES documented 9M55K cargo-rocket remnants and a nearby unexploded 9N235 submunition around Kafr Zita.

    Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Syria

  2. Ukraine 9M55K evidence reported

    ARES reported likely 9M55K cargo-rocket use near Kramatorsk and described the rocket's 9N235 payload.

    Sources: ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in Ukraine

  3. Karabakh technical note identifies 9N235

    Human Rights Watch published a technical note identifying 9N235 submunitions from 9M55K Smerch rockets in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

    Sources: HRW Karabakh cluster munition technical note

  4. Civilian documentation in Ukraine assessed

    Bellingcat identified 9M55K and 9M27K cluster rockets with 9N210 or 9N235 submunitions among cluster munitions documented by Ukrainian civilians after the full-scale invasion.

    Sources: Bellingcat Ukraine cluster munitions

Media

9N235 cluster submunition Videos

9N235 cluster submunition Images

9N235 cluster submunition, High-explosive fragmentation cluster submunition, Munitions - view 1
Source: Commons Mykolaiv cluster bomblet image
9N235 cluster submunition, High-explosive fragmentation cluster submunition, Munitions - view 2
Source: Commons Kharkiv demining image
Related Weapon Systems
9M27K1 cargo rocket, 220 mm Uragan cluster cargo rocket carrying 30 9N235 submunitions, MunitionsMunitions9M27K1 cargo rocket220 mm Uragan cluster cargo rocket carrying 30 9N235 submunitionsThe 9M27K1 is a Soviet/Russian 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket designed for the BM-27 9K57 launcher family. Technical and humanitarian-monitoring sources identify it as the Uragan round that carries 30 9N235 high-explosive fragmentation submunitions over a 10 to 35 km envelope, with Ukraine-war reporting often grouping it with the closely related 9M27K because their remnants can be difficult to separate without markings.
9M27F HE-fragmentation rocket, 220 mm Uragan artillery rocket with unitary HE-fragmentation warhead, MunitionsMunitions9M27F HE-fragmentation rocket220 mm Uragan artillery rocket with unitary HE-fragmentation warheadThe 9M27F is the standard Soviet 220 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket in the Uragan family, produced by Splav and fired by BM-27-class launchers for area attacks against manpower, vehicles, command posts, communications nodes, and fixed targets. Technical references identify it as an unguided 280 kg round with a 9N128F unitary warhead, while Ukrainian local military-administration reports document Russian 9M27F strikes on Kostiantynivka during the Russia-Ukraine War.
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

ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in SyriaPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Directly supports 2011 Syrian Civil War use by documenting 9M55K cargo-rocket remnants and an unexploded 9N235 submunition around Kafr Zita; also supports 9M55K carrier context and the selected Armament Research video. | Accessed: 2026-07-04ARES 9M55K and 9N235 in UkrainePublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting likely 9M55K cargo rockets with 9N235 fragmentation submunitions near Kramatorsk in 2014, while noting attribution limits. | Accessed: 2026-07-04ARES Russian 9N235 in Ukraine 2022Publisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by documenting 9N235-marked submunitions employed by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022; also supports technical background, carrier-rocket context, dimensions, filler, fragments, fuze details, and the 9N210/9N235 identification distinction. | Accessed: 2026-07-04ARES 9M27K series in UkrainePublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports the 9N235's relationship to 9M27K1 Uragan cargo rockets and the 30-submunition carrier-rocket context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04HRW Ukraine cluster munition technical notePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports the 9N235's carriage by 9M27K1 Uragan cargo rockets and the 30-submunition cargo-rocket context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04HRW Kharkiv cluster munition attacksPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting 9M55K-series Smerch cluster rocket use in Kharkiv after the February 2022 escalation and describing the 9N235-payload rocket family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Bellingcat Ukraine cluster munitionsPublisher: Bellingcat | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by identifying 9M55K and 9M27K cluster rockets with 9N210 or 9N235 submunitions among cluster munitions documented in Ukraine after February 2022. | Accessed: 2026-07-04HRW Karabakh cluster munition technical notePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict use: 9N235 submunitions were used by Armenian and/or Nagorno-Karabakh forces in 9M55K Smerch cluster rockets during the 2020 conflict; also identifies Splav as the state-owned manufacturer for the Smerch rocket. | Accessed: 2026-07-04CAT-UXO 9N235 submunitionPublisher: CAT-UXO | Note: Supports ordnance identification background and the distinction between 9N235 and externally similar 9N210 submunitions. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons 9N235 cassette imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary 9N235 gallery image; file page lists own work by Andrey Khokhlushin under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons Mykolaiv cluster bomblet imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a 9N210/9N235-category cluster bomblet image from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons Kharkiv demining imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a 9N210/9N235-category cluster munition image from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04