The Tornado-G is Russia's 9K51M 122 mm multiple launch rocket system, a modernized BM-21 Grad successor with automated fire control, map-based aiming, and compatibility with standard Grad rockets. Rostec says it is faster and more effective than the older launcher, while open-source reporting documents Russian use and losses in Ukraine and Russian confirmation of service in Syria.
Russian forces have fielded 122 mm 2B17 Tornado-G launchers in Ukraine; Oryx visually documents destroyed, damaged, and captured Russian systems, and Russian reporting described Tornado-G crews supporting infantry near Novoselovskoye on the Kupiansk axis in August 2023.
Role detailsRussian officials confirmed that Tornado-G multiple rocket launchers were used in combat conditions during Russia's Syrian campaign, alongside Smerch and Iskander-M systems; available reporting does not identify a specific battery, strike, or location.
Role detailsTornado-G is best read as a digitalized 122 mm Grad successor rather than a separate-caliber rocket system. The sourced record emphasizes automated laying, remote firing, and continuity with Grad-family ammunition.
Rosoboronexport identifies the 122 mm Tornado-G MLRS as index 9K51M; European Security & Defence describes its 2B17-1 launch vehicle on a Ural truck chassis.
The launcher has automated topographic survey, terrain orientation, electronic mapping, firing-data calculation, and launch-tube laying from inside the cabin.
Rosoboronexport says rockets can be prepared and launched from the cabin or from a portable console 50-60 m away.
Sources support standard Grad rocket compatibility plus named later rockets. Catalog links stay limited to existing, source-backed munition records.
Sources: 122mm TORNADO-G MLRS; Rostec Brings Tornado-G to the International Market; European Security & Defence BM-21 and Tornado-G; Analysis: Russia uses in Ukraine Tornado-G 122mm rocket launchers offering more accuracy at up to 40 km.
Tornado-G is the 9K51M system name for the modernized 122 mm Grad-family launcher package. Public sources distinguish the 2B17-1 launch vehicle from proposed or planned configurations such as an air-droppable version for airborne forces.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2B17-1 launch vehicle | Launcher vehicle designation | European Security & Defence describes Tornado-G as the 9K51M system introduced in 2014 with a 2B17-1 launch vehicle on a Ural truck chassis, automated fire control, and GLONASS navigation. |
| Air-droppable Tornado-G | Proposed airborne-forces configuration | TASS and The Defense Post reported Splav's plan for an air-droppable Tornado-G on a new chassis for Russian airborne troops; both describe it as a planned modification dependent on a Russian Defense Ministry decision. Sources: TASS Air-Droppable Tornado-G, Russia to Develop Air-Droppable Tornado-G Rocket Launcher |
Army Recognition reports that Tornado-G keeps the BM-21 Grad's 40-tube 122 mm launcher station and can fire standard Grad rockets.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Predecessor launcher family | The same report says Tornado-G can fire all standard BM-21 rockets, so the two systems belong to the same 122 mm launcher family rather than separate ammunition lines. |
Tornado-G remains a 122 mm Grad-family launcher: sources describe compatibility with standard BM-21 rockets and later extended-range 122 mm rounds.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Standard HE-fragmentation Grad rocket | Army Recognition reports Tornado-G can fire all standard BM-21 rockets; the 9M22U / M-21OF record is the catalog's standard Grad HE-fragmentation rocket page. |
 | Extended-range HE-fragmentation rocket | European Security & Defence identifies the 9M521 among extended-range 122 mm rockets associated with Tornado-G, while the munition record carries its separate specifications and relationship-only context. |
 | Extended-range HE-fragmentation rocket | European Security & Defence lists the 9M522 with the Tornado-G extended-range 122 mm rocket set, linking the launcher page to the existing munition record without making a munition-specific conflict claim. |
RIA reported that NPO Splav began serial production of Tornado-G in 2013 after the system passed trials.
Sources: НПО "Сплав" начало серийное производство системы "Торнадо-Г"
Rostec announced Tornado-G's launch on the international market and said the system was already operated by Russian army units.
Sources: Rostec Brings Tornado-G to the International Market
TASS reported Splav's proposal for an air-droppable Tornado-G on a new chassis for Russian airborne forces, pending a Russian Defense Ministry decision.
Sources: TASS Air-Droppable Tornado-G
Oryx began documenting Russian 2B17 Tornado-G systems destroyed, damaged, and captured during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
