9P138 Grad-1

Also known as

Grad-1
Grad 1
9K55 Grad-1
9K55 Grad 1
9P138
BM-21b
M1976
122 mm 9P138
122mm 9P138

The 9P138 Grad-1 is the wheeled launch vehicle of the Soviet 9K55 Grad-1 regimental 122 mm multiple rocket launcher system. It carries 36 tubes on a ZIL-131 chassis, trades the BM-21 Grad's larger 40-round launcher for a lighter front-line package, and is documented in Russian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

9P138 Grad-1, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

Image source: 9P138 Grad-1 on ZiL-131 Image

Role in Conflicts

Side: Russia

Russian 122 mm 9P138 Grad-1 launchers are visually documented as destroyed, damaged, and captured equipment losses in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Role details

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union
Built by: Splav
Type: 122 mm multiple rocket launcher
Service note: Cold War design in modern service
Designer: Tula State Research Institute of Precision Engineering / SNPP Splav; State Design Bureau of Compressor Machine Building for the 9P138 combat vehicle
Designed: 1965-1972 development and testing period
Produced: Adopted in 1976; production and modernization details not fully public

Specifications

Caliber: 122 mm
Launcher: 36 tubular guides arranged in four rows
Chassis: ZIL-131 6x6 cross-country truck
Crew: 3
Maximum range: 15 km with Grad-1 short-range rockets
Full salvo time: 18 seconds
Reloading time: 7 minutes
Combat vehicle weight: 9,878 kg fully equipped, excluding crew
Road speed: Up to 80 km/h
Road range: 525 km
Dimensions: About 7.04 m long, 2.50 m wide, and 2.48 m high in traveling position
Fording: Up to 1.4 m without preparation

Design Position

The Grad-1 occupied a narrower role than the standard BM-21 Grad. Its ZIL-131 chassis and lower 36-tube launcher simplified the vehicle package, while the 9K55 complex kept the same broad 122 mm Grad ammunition ecosystem for front-line salvos.

System index

9K55 Grad-1 complex with 9P138 wheeled combat vehicle.

Launcher package

36 guides, rear stabilizing jacks, single or multiple fire from the cab or remote firing coil.

Battlefield niche

Short-range regimental rocket artillery for area fire against troops, artillery positions, command posts, and light materiel near the front line.

Variants

Grad-1 designations separate the 9K55 system, the 9P138 wheeled launch vehicle, associated transport vehicles, and the adjacent BM-21/Grad family that supplied the design baseline and ammunition lineage.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
BM-21 Grad	40-tube parent Grad family launcher	Missilery describes the 9K55 Grad-1 as developed on the basis of the M-21/BM-21 field rocket system, while the 9P138 reduced the launch package to 36 tubes on the ZIL-131 chassis. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
9P138	Wheeled Grad-1 combat vehicle	The 9P138 is the ZIL-131-based Grad-1 combat vehicle with a 36-tube launcher package and rear stabilizing jacks. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
9P139 / 9P144	Grad-1 combat vehicle alternatives	Missilery lists 9P139 and 9P144 combat vehicles inside the broader 9K55 Grad-1 complex composition, but the wheeled 9P138 is the cataloged vehicle on this page. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Grad-P Light portable rocket system	Portable Grad-family offshoot	Grad-P is a separate single-round portable 122 mm Grad-family launcher, useful as a contrast to the truck-mounted Grad-1 line. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

Rockets Fired

Missilery lists 9M28F as the standard Grad-1 projectile and also identifies several 122 mm Grad-family rounds that can be launched from the 9P138.

Ammunition	Ammunition type	Firing evidence
122 mm 9M28F Grad rocket	Standard high-explosive fragmentation rocket	The 9M28F is listed as the standard 122 mm unguided projectile for the 9K55 Grad-1 system. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket	Incendiary Grad-family rocket	Missilery lists the 9M22S/MZ-21 incendiary round among ammunition that can be fired by the 9P138. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
122 mm 9M43 Grad rocket	Smoke Grad-family rocket	The same ammunition list identifies the 9M43 smoke rocket as compatible with the 9P138 launcher. Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

Ammunition

Ammunition type

Firing evidence

122 mm 9M28F Grad rocket

Standard high-explosive fragmentation rocket

The 9M28F is listed as the standard 122 mm unguided projectile for the 9K55 Grad-1 system.

Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket

Incendiary Grad-family rocket

Missilery lists the 9M22S/MZ-21 incendiary round among ammunition that can be fired by the 9P138.

Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

122 mm 9M43 Grad rocket

Smoke Grad-family rocket

The same ammunition list identifies the 9M43 smoke rocket as compatible with the 9P138 launcher.

Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

Timeline

9P138 Grad-1 Key Events

Jan 1, 1965
Grad-1 search work begins
Tula research work in 1965-1968 examined a regimental multiple launch rocket system with a roughly 15 km range and a more compact front-line role.
Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Jan 21, 1970
Development basis approved
Missilery traces the formal development basis to a January 21, 1970 Soviet Council of Ministers resolution for the Grad-1 system.
Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Jan 1, 1972
ZIL-131 version completes range testing
The wheeled Grad-1 system was recommended after 1972 tests with the 9P138 combat vehicle, transport vehicle, and unguided rockets.
Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Jan 1, 1976
9K55 adopted
The 9K55 Grad-1 entered Soviet Army service in 1976 as a regimental 122 mm multiple rocket launcher system.
Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
Feb 24, 2022
Russian Grad-1 losses documented in Ukraine
Oryx and WarSpotting both list Russian 122 mm 9P138 Grad-1 losses from the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, confirming the type's continued wartime use.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses in Ukraine, WarSpotting Russian 122mm 9P138 Losses