Munitions

Sayda incendiary round

Also known as
  • Saida

Sayda is the incendiary member of the Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted mortar projectile family for the M-240 and 2S4 Tyulpan. Armament Research Services identifies it alongside the 3F2 Gagara, 3O8 Nerpa, and 3B11 special-purpose rounds that use the 3M15 rocket motor, while GlobalSecurity renders the name as Saida and describes a napalm incendiary shell intended to create persistent fires around the burst point.

Sayda incendiary round, Incendiary 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions
Image source: 240 mm artillery mine.jpg
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Incendiary 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile
Service note
Late Cold War Soviet 240 mm special-purpose ammunition

Specifications

Caliber
240 mm
Role
Incendiary special-purpose mortar projectile
Alternate spelling
Saida
Incendiary fill
Napalm, described for Saida / Sayda incendiary shells by GlobalSecurity and TASS
Reported fire effect
Stable fire sources around the projectile burst center over an area reported as 7,850 square meters by GlobalSecurity
Propulsion
3M15 rocket motor
Compatible systems
M-240 and 2S4 Tyulpan heavy mortars
Family context
One of four Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile types identified by ARES
Incendiary Role

Sayda is documented as the incendiary member of the Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile family rather than as a separate launcher or stand-alone weapon system. ARES establishes the family and the shared 3M15 rocket-motor context; GlobalSecurity uses the alternate spelling Saida and describes a napalm-filled incendiary shell for the Tyulpan ammunition set.

Documented role

Incendiary 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile for the M-240 / 2S4 heavy-mortar family.

Effect description

GlobalSecurity reports napalm incendiary shells forming persistent fire sources around the burst point.

Attribution limit

Available sources here describe compatibility and ammunition characteristics, not a direct record of Sayda being fired in a named conflict.

Variants

ARES places Sayda inside a four-round Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile family for the M-240 and 2S4 Tyulpan; linked rows below point only to public catalog records in that same family.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
3F2 GagaraHigh-explosive rocket-assisted projectile

ARES identifies 3F2 Gagara as the high-explosive member of the same 240 mm rocket-assisted family.

Sources: Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in Syria

3O8 Nerpa, Rocket-assisted cargo projectile for 240 mm mortars, Munitions3O8 NerpaCargo rocket-assisted projectile

ARES identifies 3O8 Nerpa as the cargo projectile in the same 240 mm rocket-assisted family and documents its 3M15 rocket motor context.

Sources: Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in Syria

3B11 nuclear projectile, 240 mm rocket-assisted nuclear mortar projectile, Munitions3B11 nuclear projectileNuclear rocket-assisted projectile

ARES lists 3B11 as the nuclear member of the same Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile family.

Sources: Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in Syria

Firing Weapons

ARES identifies Sayda as one of the Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted projectiles designed for the 2S4 Tyulpan and M-240 heavy mortars.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
2S4 Tyulpan, 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar, Artillery2S4 Tyulpan240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar

ARES names Sayda as the incendiary round in the Soviet 240 mm rocket-assisted family for the 2S4 Tyulpan and M-240.

Sources: Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in Syria, This Russian 'Big Gun' Only Had One Purpose: To Destroy a City

Timeline

Sayda incendiary round Key Events

  1. Rocket-assisted family designed

    ARES says four Soviet rocket-assisted 240 mm mortar projectiles were designed during this period for the M-240 and 2S4 Tyulpan: 3F2 Gagara, 3O8 Nerpa, 3B11, and Sayda.

    Sources: Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in Syria

  2. Tyulpan ammunition set summarized

    TASS described Sayda as a napalm incendiary munition developed for the 2S4 Tyulpan heavy-mortar ammunition set.

    Sources: TASS Tyulpan Ammunition Overview

Media

Sayda incendiary round Images

Sayda incendiary round, Incendiary 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Soviet 240mm mortar shell.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb, 240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb, MunitionsMunitions53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bombThe 53-F-864, commonly cited as F-864 and also rendered 3OF-864 in Tyulpan references, is a Soviet 240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb for the M-240 / 2S4 Tyulpan heavy-mortar family. It is notable as a very heavy conventional mortar round: Human Rights Watch documented F-864 bombs in Syrian army shelling of Homs, and technical references report a projectile mass of about 130 kg and a maximum Tyulpan range of about 9.65 km.

Sources

Soviet 3O8 240 mm rocket-assisted cargo projectiles in SyriaPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports the Sayda designation, the 240 mm rocket-assisted projectile family, the shared 3M15 motor, the M-240 and 2S4 Tyulpan launch systems, and family-range context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01This Russian 'Big Gun' Only Had One Purpose: To Destroy a CityPublisher: The National Interest | Note: Supports the incendiary role of Sayda projectiles in the 2S4 Tyulpan / M-240 family and the reader-facing context that they were intended to set buildings aflame. | Accessed: 2026-07-012S4 M-1975 Tyulpan SpecificationsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the Saida alternate spelling, napalm fill description, reported fire-effect area, and 2S4 ammunition-list context for the incendiary shell. | Accessed: 2026-07-01TASS Tyulpan Ammunition OverviewPublisher: TASS | Note: Supports Sayda as a napalm incendiary munition developed for the 2S4 Tyulpan ammunition set and supports the broader heavy-mortar ammunition context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01240 mm artillery mine.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 240 mm artillery mine photo used as a contextual family image on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Soviet 240mm mortar shell.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 240 mm mortar shell photo used as a contextual family image on this page. | Accessed: 2026-07-01