Artillery

BM-27 Uragan

Also known as
  • 9K57 Uragan
  • 9P140 Uragan
  • BM-22
  • M1977
  • Uragan

The BM-27 Uragan is the Soviet 9K57 220 mm multiple launch rocket system, built around the 16-tube 9P140 launcher and 9T452 transporter-loader on ZIL-135LM-family wheeled chassis. Its rocket family gives heavier payloads than BM-21 Grad-class systems, including high-explosive fragmentation, cluster, incendiary, fuel-air explosive, and mine-scattering rounds. Documented use spans Russia-Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, with the system still relevant through Ukrainian overhaul work and Bureviy modernization.

BM-27 Uragan, 220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, Artillery
Image source: Ukrainian BM-27 Uragan.JPG

Role in Conflicts

2008 Russo-Georgian War
Fire SupportArea Denial
Side
Russia and South Ossetian forces

Human Rights Watch documented Russian 220 mm Uragan rocket attacks in Georgia during August 2008, including 9N210 submunitions and Uragan rocket remnants at Ruisi, Pkhvenisi, and other villages.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Built by
NPO Splav
Type
220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system
Service note
Late Cold War design in continuing post-Soviet service
Designer
Splav State Research and Production Enterprise
Designed
Early 1970s; development completed in 1975
Unit cost
Not publicly standardized
Produced
From 1975
Number built
Not publicly standardized

Specifications

Caliber
220 mm rockets
Launcher
16 launch tubes on a ZIL-135LM 8x8 wheeled chassis
Range
About 35-40 km with standard 9M27-series rockets
Crew
4-6 depending on source and operating configuration
Combat weight
About 20 tonnes
Mobility
Road speed about 65 km/h; operational range about 500-570 km
Reload
Reloaded by 9T452 transporter-loader; Splav listed a 20-minute launcher loading time
Salvo time
16 rockets in about 20 seconds
Variants

Uragan-family modernization lines build from the original 9K57 system and 9P140 launch vehicle into later Russian and Ukrainian variants.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
BM-27M Uragan-1MRussian modular modernization

Army Recognition describes Uragan-1M as a later Russian MLRS modernization associated with the Uragan family.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

Bureviy, 220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryBureviyUkrainian 220 mm modernization

Ukrinform and Defense Express describe Bureviy as a Ukrainian Uragan-family replacement on a Tatra chassis that remains compatible with Uragan rocket stocks.

Sources: Shepetivka Repair Plant tests new MLRS, Ukraine develops new Bureviy heavy rocket artillery system

Fired Rockets
AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
9M27K1 cargo rocket, 220 mm Uragan cluster cargo rocket carrying 30 9N235 submunitions, Munitions9M27K1 cargo rocket220 mm cargo rocket

Army Recognition explicitly says the BM-27 can fire the 9M27K1, one of its five unguided 220 mm rocket types.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

9M27K2 anti-tank mine rocket, 220 mm Uragan remote mine-laying cargo rocket carrying PTM-1G anti-vehicle mines, Munitions9M27K2 anti-tank mine rocket220 mm cargo rocket

Army Recognition lists the 9M27K2 as one of the five unguided rockets fired by the BM-27.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

9M59 anti-tank mine rocket, 220 mm cargo rocket carrying anti-tank mines with directional charges, Munitions9M59 anti-tank mine rocket220 mm mine-laying rocket

Army Guide lists the 9M59 as one of the BM-27's rocket types and describes it as a 220 mm round carrying nine anti-tank mines.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

9M27F HE-fragmentation rocket, 220 mm Uragan artillery rocket with unitary HE-fragmentation warhead, Munitions9M27F HE-fragmentation rocket220 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket

Army Recognition lists the 9M27F as one of the BM-27's five unguided 220 mm rocket types.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

9M27K3 anti-personnel mine rocket, 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket for anti-personnel mines, Munitions9M27K3 anti-personnel mine rocket220 mm mine-laying rocket

Army Recognition lists the 9M27K3 as one of the BM-27's five unguided 220 mm rocket types.

Sources: BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRS

9M27S incendiary rocket, 220 mm incendiary artillery rocket, Munitions9M27S incendiary rocket220 mm incendiary rocket

Weaponsystems.net describes the 9M27S as an incendiary member of the 220 mm Uragan rocket family.

Sources: 220mm 9M27 | Weaponsystems.net

9M51 fuel-air explosive rocket, 220 mm Uragan fuel-air explosive rocket, Munitions9M51 fuel-air explosive rocket220 mm fuel-air explosive rocket

Missilery.info identifies the 9M51 as a 220 mm rocket projectile linked to the 9K57 Uragan family.

Sources: Unguided rocket projectile 9M51

Launcher And Rocket Family

The 9K57 Uragan system includes more than the launch truck: the 9P140 firing vehicle, the 9T452 transporter-loader, and a family of 220 mm rocket projectiles with blast-fragmentation, cargo, mine-scattering, incendiary, and fuel-air explosive roles.

ElementRoleDocumented detail
9P140 launch vehicleFiring platformSixteen 220 mm tubes on a ZIL-135LM-family wheeled chassis; Splav listed a 20-second full salvo and no more than three minutes to prepare for action.
9T452 transporter-loaderReload vehicleTransports 16 rocket projectiles and uses an onboard crane to reload the launcher; Splav listed a 20-minute loading time.
220 mm rocket projectilesPayload familySeparate linked rocket records identify high-explosive fragmentation, cargo, mine-laying, incendiary, and fuel-air explosive projectiles.

Sources: Splav Uragan MRLS archive; RS30 9K57 Uragan; 220mm 9M27 | Weaponsystems.net; Unguided rocket projectile 9M51.

Timeline

BM-27 Uragan Key Events

  1. Development completed and Soviet service began

    Army Guide describes the 220 mm BM 9P140 Uragan as an early-1970s Splav-led design completed in 1975 and accepted into Soviet Army service the same year.

    Sources: RS30 9K57 Uragan

  2. Uragan rockets documented in Georgia

    Human Rights Watch documented Russian Uragan rocket use and 9N210 submunitions during the August 2008 war in Georgia.

    Sources: A Dying Practice

  3. Bureviy modernization tested in Ukraine

    Ukrinform reported testing of the Bureviy 220 mm MLRS, a Ukrainian Uragan-family replacement using a Tatra chassis and modernized fire-control equipment.

    Sources: Shepetivka Repair Plant tests new MLRS

  4. Uragan-family systems remained active in Ukraine

    Open-source loss records and Human Rights Watch reporting documented Uragan launchers, transporter-loaders, and Uragan-delivered mines in the full-scale Russia-Ukraine War.

    Sources: Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm Civilians

Media

BM-27 Uragan Videos

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

BM-27 9P140 Uragan 9K57 MLRSPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports system background, manufacturer attribution, launcher layout, mobility, range, reload, and rocket-family specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Splav Uragan MRLS archivePublisher: Splav State Research and Production Enterprise | Note: Archived manufacturer page supporting 9K57 system structure, 9P140 launch vehicle, 9T452 transporter-loader, 220 mm rocket projectiles, range, salvo time, and loading data. | Accessed: 2026-06-30RS30 9K57 UraganPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Uragan development chronology, 9K57/9P140 designation context, 9T452 transporter-loader relationship, rocket-family structure, and general system specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm CiviliansPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Documents 220 mm Uragan rocket delivery of PFM mines and Uragan-series rocket remnants around Izium during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Intense and Lasting HarmPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use source: documents 9M27K-series Uragan cluster munition rockets used in 2022 attacks in Ukraine, including Okhtyrka and Mykolaiv. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Lists visually documented Russian 220 mm BM-27 Uragan launcher and 9T452 transporter-loader losses in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Syria: Cluster Munitions Used in November 6 AttacksPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Documents 9M27K-series Uragan cluster munition rocket remnants from November 2022 2011 Syrian Civil War attacks attributed to the Syrian-Russian military alliance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Enemy's military equipment destroyed before 17:30 todayPublisher: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan | Note: Supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct conflict-use context by reporting an Armenian Uragan multiple launch rocket system destroyed or disabled during September 2020 fighting. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Border Fight Could Shift Saudi Arabia's Yemen War CalculusPublisher: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use source: describes BM-27 Uragan as a Houthi tactical weapon used by Houthi-aligned forces in cross-border rocket attacks against Saudi border areas from 2015 onward. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudi Arabia Visa Request Letter on Yemen InvestigationsPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use source: cites Soviet-made Uragan rocket remnants and says Houthi-affiliated media reported Uragan rockets fired by Yemen's army and popular committees in cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia. | Accessed: 2026-06-20A Dying PracticePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: 2008 Russo-Georgian War direct-use source: documents Russian 220 mm Uragan rocket attacks, Uragan remnants, and 9N210 submunitions in Georgia during August 2008. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Shepetivka Repair Plant tests new MLRSPublisher: Ukrinform | Note: Supports Bureviy modernization context, Shepetivka Repair Plant manufacturer context, 220 mm caliber, Tatra chassis, fire-control modernization, and Uragan replacement role. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine develops new Bureviy heavy rocket artillery systemPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Bureviy compatibility with Uragan rocket stocks and Typhoon-2 rockets, including anti-personnel and anti-tank mine cargo rounds. | Accessed: 2026-06-30220mm 9M27 | Weaponsystems.netPublisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports 9M27-series Uragan rocket-family background, Splav production context, unguided solid-propellant design, 10 to 35 km range, and 9M27S incendiary warhead detail. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Unguided rocket projectile 9M51Publisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports 9M51 designation, 220 mm caliber, fuel-air explosive role, projectile dimensions and mass, and 9K57 Uragan family context. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukrainian BM-27 Uragan.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY 3.0 licensing for the primary BM-27 Uragan image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20