Profile
- Type
- Road-mobile tactical ballistic missile system
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design; Tochka-U adopted in 1989 and still used in the Russia-Ukraine War
Artillery
Tochka-U
Tochka-U is the upgraded 9K79-1/OTR-21 short-range tactical ballistic missile system, carried on a wheeled transporter-erector-launcher and designed for battlefield strikes with high-explosive or cluster warheads. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a legacy Soviet missile system used by both sides, giving Ukraine an indigenous long-range strike option early in the invasion while also appearing in documented Russian attacks.
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
Service History
- In service
- 1989-present for Tochka-U variant
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Kolomna Machine Building Design Bureau (KBM)
- Designed
- 1960s-1980s Tochka family development; Tochka-U adopted in 1989
- Built in
- Soviet UnionRussia
- Produced
- 1970s onward for Tochka family
- Variants
- 9K79 Tochka, 9K79-1 Tochka-U, 9M79-1 missile
Specifications
- Crew
- 3
- Missile
- Single 9M79-1 short-range ballistic missile on a 9P129-series transporter-erector-launcher
- Range
- Up to 120 km for Tochka-U
- Warhead
- About 482 kg; high-explosive fragmentation, cluster, chemical, or nuclear warhead options reported for the family
- Guidance
- Inertial guidance
- Missile weight
- About 2,010 kg for the Tochka-U missile
- Mobility
- 6x6 wheeled amphibious launcher, road-mobile
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: RussiaUkraine
Used by Ukrainian forces for tactical ballistic strikes, including reported strikes around Millerovo and Soledar, while Human Rights Watch documented Russian Tochka-U use and attribution in attacks such as Vuhledar and Kramatorsk.
Tochka-U Images
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OTR-21 Tochka (SS-21)Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Threat | Note: Supports system background, road-mobile SRBM role, alternate names, dimensions, payload, propulsion, and range. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Tactical Missile System SS-21 ScarabPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports Tochka-U adoption, Kolomna Machine Building Design Bureau developer attribution, launcher composition, mobility, crew, and detailed specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Ukraine Reportedly Strikes Russian AirbasePublisher: Janes | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source for reported Ukrainian OTR-21 Tochka missile use against Millerovo Air Base in February 2022. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Over Hundred Russian Invaders Killed Near SoledarPublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source citing Ukrainian Special Operations Forces on Tochka-U use near Soledar. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Ukraine: Russian Cluster Munition Hits HospitalPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source documenting a Russian ballistic missile attack near Vuhledar and identifying remnants of a 9M79-series Tochka missile with a 9N123K cluster warhead. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Death at the Station: Russian Cluster Munition Attack in KramatorskPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source identifying the Kramatorsk weapon as a 9M79K-1 Tochka-U and discussing evidence of Russian Tochka missile deployment and use in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-19OTR-21 Tochka Missiles of the Ukrainian MilitaryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 3.0 licensing context for the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19OTR-21 Tochka Missiles During the Independence Day Parade in KievPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 3.0 licensing context for the gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19