BM-21 Grad

Also known as

BM-21
Grad
9K51 Grad
M-21 field rocket system
M1964
2B5
BM-21-1
2B17

The BM-21 Grad is a Soviet 122 mm multiple rocket launcher built around a 40-tube launcher on a wheeled truck chassis. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it remains a common area-fire system on both sides, valued for rapid salvos and mobility but dependent on shoot-and-scoot tactics because the launcher is carried on an unarmored truck.

BM-21 Grad, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

Image source: Rocket launcher BM-21 "Grad" on Ural-375D chassis.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: Malian government and international forces

Fielded by the Malian Armed Forces in the 2012 Mali War, with Oryx's inventory of Mali's current and past heavy weaponry listing the 122 mm BM-21 Grad among Malian multiple rocket launchers.

Side: Government of National Accord

Captured by Government of National Accord forces in the 2014 Second Libyan Civil War after BM-21 Grad launchers were left in Tarhuna during the LNA withdrawal.

Side: Syrian government and allies

Used by Syrian government forces as unguided area rocket artillery in the 2011 Syrian Civil War, with AOAV documenting Grad use against Syrian towns and cities and identifying the system as the BM-21 Grad's 40-tube 122 mm launcher family.

Role details

Side: Cambodia

Used by Cambodian forces in the 2025 Thailand-Cambodia Border Conflict when BM-21 launchers fired across the disputed frontier during the July 2025 fighting.

Side: Anti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesIslamic State

Used by Iraqi Security Forces as BM-21 rocket artillery against ISIS near Rawa in November 2017, and documented by Oryx among 122 mm BM-21 launchers captured and operated by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Role details

Side: Islamic State

Captured and operated by the Islamic State in the 2013 War in Iraq, with Oryx listing 122 mm BM-21 launchers captured in Iraq.

Side: Georgia

Used by Georgian forces at the opening of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War; Human Rights Watch reported Georgian BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers firing into Tskhinvali on August 7-8.

Side: RussiaUkraine

Operated by Russian and Ukrainian forces as 122 mm truck-mounted rocket artillery from the Donbas phase into the full-scale invasion; HRW documented Ukrainian Grad rocket attacks in July 2014, OSCE monitors later recorded a BM-21 Grad in non-government-controlled territory, Oryx records BM-21 losses on both sides, and SIPRI records 2022 Polish and Czech deliveries to Ukraine.

Role details

Side: Armenia / Artsakh

Fielded by Armenian and Artsakh forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, with Oryx visually recording 122 mm BM-21 Grad launchers destroyed, abandoned, and captured.

Side: Tigray forces

Operated by the Tigray Defence Forces after captured Ethiopian Army heavy weapons entered Tigrayan hands, with Oryx visually documenting 122 mm BM-21 Grad launchers in TDF service.

Side: Sudanese Armed Forces

Fielded by forces in the 2023 Sudan War, with Oryx's conflict inventory for Sudan listing the 122 mm BM-21 Grad among multiple rocket launchers in the ongoing war.

Side: Houthi-aligned forces

Fielded by Houthi-aligned forces from inherited Yemeni Army stocks, with direct reporting documenting BM-21 Grad launchers and 122 mm M-21 or Grad-type rockets in Houthi/Saleh ground attacks and cross-border rocket-artillery fire.

Role details

Side: Boko Haram and ISWAP

ISWAP used captured 122 mm Grad rockets and improvised Grad launch tubes for attacks in northeast Nigeria and Niger; HumAngle also reported that a BM-21 captured at Baga in 2018 was destroyed by the Nigerian Air Force.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union
Built by: Motovilikha PlantsSoviet defense industry
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia
Type: 122 mm multiple rocket launcher
Service note: Cold War design in modern service
Designer: NII-117 / NPO Splav; SKB-203 / NPP Start
Designed: 1959-1963
Produced: 1960-1988 for original Soviet production; later license production and modernization programs
Number built: More than 8,500 launch vehicles reported by WeaponSystems.net; Forecast International estimated 14,362 systems including prime and license production through 2023

Specifications

Crew: 3 on standard BM-21 according to Forecast International and WeaponSystems.net
Caliber: 122 mm Grad artillery rockets
Launcher: 40 launch tubes on a Ural 6x6 truck chassis
Range: About 20.4 km with standard 9M22 rockets; 30-40 km class rockets exist for some Grad-compatible families
Salvo: All 40 rockets can be ripple-fired in about 20 seconds
Mobility: Ural-375D 6x6 truck; 75 km/h road speed reported for the original vehicle
Protection: Soft-skin truck with no armor; survivability depends on mobility and rapid displacement

BM-21-1 Launcher Configuration

The BM-21-1 designation sits inside the broader BM-21 Grad family. Source coverage distinguishes the original 2B5 launcher on Ural-375D from later Ural-4320-based BM-21-1/2B17 launch vehicles and the more heavily modernized 2B17-1 package.

Chassis shift

Reference sources identify BM-21-1/2B17 with the Ural-4320 truck family, while the original BM-21 row used the Ural-375D chassis.

Upgraded package

Rosoboronexport lists the Grad system with a 2B17-1 upgraded launch vehicle, 9T254 transporter-loader with 9F37M rack system, and 122 mm rockets.

Fire control

The same official description says the launch vehicle has automated laying and fire-control equipment, marking the export Grad package apart from the basic manually laid 1960s launcher.

Conflict reporting

Direct-use reporting usually identifies BM-21 or Grad launchers without separating BM-21-1 chassis variants, so conflict evidence is normally source-backed at the launcher-family level.

Sources: BM-21 Grad; Rosoboronexport Grad; Russian BM-21 Grad in Saint Petersburg.JPG.

Variants

Grad designations separate the 9K51 system, its 2B5/BM-21 launch vehicle, Ural-4320-based BM-21-1/2B17 launchers, lighter or airborne launchers, and later 122 mm Grad-compatible modernization lines.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
BM-21 on Ural-375D	Original 40-tube launch vehicle	The original launch vehicle paired the 40-tube 122 mm launcher with the Ural-375D 6x6 truck chassis. Sources: BM-21 Grad, BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System
BM-21-1 / 2B17	Ural-4320-based launcher	WeaponSystems.net lists the BM-21-1/2B17 as a later Grad launcher variant based on the Ural-4320 truck, while Rosoboronexport's current Grad package names a 2B17-1 upgraded launch vehicle with automated laying and fire control. Sources: BM-21 Grad, Rosoboronexport Grad
9P138 Grad-1	Lighter Grad-family launcher	WeaponSystems.net lists the 9P138 Grad-1 as a Grad-family variant, distinct from the standard BM-21 launch vehicle. Sources: BM-21 Grad
BM-21V Grad-V	Airborne forces variant	WeaponSystems.net identifies the BM-21V Grad-V as an airborne forces variant in the Grad family. Sources: BM-21 Grad
Grad-P Light portable rocket system	Single-round portable offshoot	Missilery describes the 9P132 Grad-P as a lightweight portable Grad-family launcher developed for special delivery abroad. Sources: Grad-P lightweight portable jet system

Launched Rockets

CAT-UXO and Missilery list Grad-family rockets as BM-21 ammunition. ARES and Missilery both describe the BM-21 Grad family as a launcher for 9M22S incendiary rockets. Missilery identifies the 9M519-1...7 set as a Grad-family rocket developed for BM-21 launchers.

Launched item	Item type	Launch evidence
122 mm Katyusha rocket	Unguided artillery rocket	AOAV describes the BM-21 Grad as a truck-mounted 122 mm MLRS that can fire 40 122 mm rockets, which supports the reciprocal ammunition relationship. Sources: What is a grad?
9M22U / M-21OF Grad rocket	High-explosive fragmentation rocket	Missilery identifies the M-21OF (9M22U) as a standard rocket for the Grad field rocket system, and Forecast International lists the M-21-OF DB-1B (9M22U) as the BM-21's long rocket. Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info, BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System
122 mm 9M521 Grad rocket	High-explosive fragmentation rocket	CAT-UXO identifies the 9M521 as a Grad rocket, linking it to the BM-21 family. Sources: CAT-UXO 122mm 9M521 Grad rocket
122 mm 9M522 Grad rocket	High-explosive fragmentation rocket	Missilery lists the 9M522 among the long-range rockets developed for the M-21/9K51 Grad system. Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info
122 mm 9M22K Grad rocket	Mine-laying rocket	The 122 mm 9M22K is a Grad-family rocket that CAT-UXO describes as a PTM-3 mine-carrying round. Sources: CAT-UXO 122mm 9M22K Grad rocket
122 mm 9M28K Grad rocket	Mine-laying rocket	The 9M28K is a Grad-family mine-laying rocket projectile that Missilery.info lists under the BM-21/Grad system. Sources: M-21 Field rocket system - Missilery.info, 9M28K - Deagel
122 mm 9M28F Grad rocket	High-explosive fragmentation rocket	Atlas states that the 122 mm 9M28F "GRAD-1" rocket is fired from a BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system. Sources: Atlas 122 mm 9M28F "GRAD-1" Rocket
122 mm 9M42 Grad rocket	Illumination rocket	CAT-UXO lists the 122 mm 9M42 as a BM-21 Grad rocket. Sources: CAT-UXO 122mm 9m42 grad rocket
122 mm 9M43 Grad rocket	Smoke rocket	CAT-UXO identifies the 9M43 as a 122 mm Grad rocket with five smoke canisters, and Deagel says it was developed and produced for the Grad multiple launch rocket system. Sources: CAT-UXO 122mm 9m43 Grad rocket, Deagel 9M43
122 mm 9M22S Grad rocket	122 mm incendiary rocket	ARES says 9M22S remnants in Ukraine were likely fired by 9K51 Grad or 9K51M Tornado-G launchers; Missilery lists the BM-21 among firing platforms for the MZ-21 (9M22S) family. Sources: 9M22S incendiary rockets documented in Ukraine (2022), MZ-21 (9M22S)
9M519-1-7 Liliya-2	Communications-jamming rocket	Missilery describes the 9M519-1-7 set as a rocket intended to jam CW and VHF radio communications, and Milzo lists 9M519 as an enhanced 122 mm rocket in BM-21 service. Sources: Missilery 9M519-1...7 to create radio interference, RFAS 122 mm BM-21 Grad series rockets

Launcher And Rocket Family

Grad terminology often mixes launcher, truck, and ammunition facts: the BM-21 is the truck-mounted launcher, while the 122 mm Grad rocket family includes high-explosive, smoke, illumination, mine-laying, incendiary, and communications-jamming rounds.

Element	System context	Why it matters
Launch vehicle	BM-21/2B5 on a Ural 6x6 truck chassis.	The unarmored wheeled carrier gives the system mobility but leaves survivability tied to quick displacement.
Ready launcher	Forty 122 mm launch tubes fired as a rapid salvo.	The launcher is optimized for area saturation rather than precision point targets.
Ammunition family	Grad-compatible 122 mm rockets span explosive, smoke, illumination, mine-laying, incendiary, and jamming roles.	The same launcher family can support different battlefield effects when compatible rockets are available.

Timeline

BM-21 Grad Key Events

Jan 1, 1959
Development period begins
Background sources place Grad development in the 1959-1963 period as the Soviet 122 mm multiple rocket launcher family took shape.
Sources: BM-21 Grad
Jan 1, 1960
Original production window opens
Forecast International and the cataloged production field place original Soviet BM-21 production in the 1960-1988 period before later license production and modernization lines.
Sources: BM-21 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System
Jan 1, 1965
Portable Grad-P offshoot appears
Missilery traces the 9P132 Grad-P portable launcher to 1965, showing how the 122 mm Grad rocket family moved beyond the truck-mounted BM-21 launcher.
Sources: Grad-P lightweight portable jet system
Jan 1, 2014
Both sides documented in Ukraine
Ukrainian modernization reporting and Russian loss documentation show the BM-21 remaining in active service on both sides of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Sources: Ukraine's National Guard receives upgrades BM-21 rocket launchers, Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine