Support Equipment

UR-77 Meteorit

Also known as
  • UR-77
  • Meteorit
  • Meteorite
  • Ustanovka Razminirovaniya-77
  • Zmey Gorynych
  • Zmei Gorynych

The UR-77 Meteorit is a Soviet tracked combat-engineering vehicle that fires rocket-propelled explosive line charges from a protected 2S1-derived chassis. Built to open lanes through minefields for mechanized forces, it has also appeared in urban fighting where the same line charge can be used as a short-range demolition weapon. Public conflict evidence places UR-77s with Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Russia-Ukraine War and with Syrian government-aligned forces in the Syrian Civil War.

UR-77 Meteorit, Tracked mine-clearing line-charge vehicle, Support Equipment
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Openwater2016 UR-77 Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Tracked mine-clearing line-charge vehicle
Service note
Late Cold War design with post-Soviet service
Designer
Soviet combat-engineering vehicle design based on the 2S1 Gvozdika chassis
Designed
1970s; service entry reported in 1978
Produced
From 1977 or 1978

Specifications

Crew
2 (driver and operator)
Combat weight
About 15.5 tonnes
Line-charge payload
Two rocket-propelled mine-clearing line charges
Cleared lane
About 90 m long by 6 m wide per charge
Chassis
Tracked 2S1 Gvozdika-derived chassis, itself linked to the MT-LB family
Engine
YaMZ-238N V8 diesel, about 300 hp
Road speed
About 62 km/h
Range
About 500 km
Amphibious mobility
Reported afloat speed about 5 km/h
Protection
Steel armor against small-arms fire and shell splinters; not a mine-protected vehicle
Line-Charge Effect

The UR-77's central feature is a rocket-propelled explosive line charge, not a direct-fire gun. The launcher can carry two charges and fire them across a minefield or obstacle belt before remote detonation.

Lane width

About 6 m per charge.

Army Recognition and WeaponSystems.net give the same 6 m lane width.

Lane length

Up to about 90 m per UZP-77-type charge.

TWZ notes UZ-67 and UZP-77 charge lengths in the 75-90 m range.

Combat implication

The blast can clear or disrupt mines, but the same effect has also made the vehicle useful for urban demolition and assaults.

Conflict-use rows distinguish documented battlefield use from the vehicle's intended engineering role.

Sources: Army Recognition UR-77; WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit; TWZ UR-77 Fireball.

Variants

Public sources usually treat the UR-77 as the production replacement for the older UR-67, with later Russian remote mine-clearance concepts such as UR-07M and UR-15 described as follow-on developments rather than confirmed UR-77 production variants.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
UR-67Predecessor mine-clearing vehicle

WeaponSystems.net identifies the UR-67 as the earlier BTR-50PK-based system that the UR-77 supplemented and replaced.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit

UR-15 MeteoritLater remote mine-clearance development

Russian reference material describes UR-15 as a later remote mine-clearance development using multiple elongated charges, not as the same baseline UR-77 vehicle.

Sources: Russian Wikipedia UR-77

Chassis Lineage

The UR-77 is not a howitzer, but its mobility and hull lineage are tied to existing Soviet tracked platforms.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
2S1 Gvozdika, 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery2S1 GvozdikaChassis source

Army Recognition, TWZ, and WeaponSystems.net describe the UR-77 as using a 2S1 Gvozdika-derived tracked chassis.

Sources: Army Recognition UR-77, TWZ UR-77 Fireball, WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit

MT-LB, Amphibious tracked armored personnel carrier and artillery tractor, Armored VehiclesMT-LBUnderlying tracked vehicle family

WeaponSystems.net traces the 2S1 chassis used by the UR-77 back to the MT-LB multipurpose tracked carrier family.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit

Why the chassis matters

The 2S1/MT-LB lineage explains why the UR-77 can keep pace with armored and mechanized forces while carrying a specialized mine-clearing payload.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit

Timeline

UR-77 Meteorit Key Events

  1. UR-77 enters service

    Reference sources place the UR-77's entry into service around 1978 after development in the 1970s.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net UR-77 Meteorit, Army Recognition UR-77

  2. UR-77 reported in Jobar fighting

    War Is Boring reported pro-regime video showing a UR-77 engaged in fighting in the Jobar district of Damascus.

    Sources: War Is Boring Syria UR-77

  3. UR-77 losses enter Ukraine open-source record

    Oryx's Russia-Ukraine War loss lists later recorded Russian and Ukrainian UR-77 losses, captures, and abandoned vehicles with photo or video evidence.

    Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Oryx Ukrainian Equipment Losses

  4. Drone attack triggers UR-77 secondary explosion

    TWZ analyzed footage of Ukrainian forces destroying a Russian UR-77 and explained that remaining line-charge explosives likely caused the large secondary detonation.

    Sources: TWZ UR-77 Fireball

Media

UR-77 Meteorit Images

UR-77 Meteorit, Tracked mine-clearing line-charge vehicle, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons Tatarstan UR-77 Image
Related Weapon Systems
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.
M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle, Armored combat-engineering breaching vehicle, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentM1150 Assault Breacher VehicleArmored combat-engineering breaching vehicleThe M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle is a U.S. armored combat-engineering vehicle built around an M1 Abrams-derived hull, two linear demolition-charge launchers, a lane-marking system, and interchangeable mine-plow or dozer-blade breaching gear. U.S. Marine Corps use in Afghanistan showed the vehicle clearing routes through IED and obstacle belts under armor, while Ukrainian service in the Russia-Ukraine War made the system part of the Western mine-clearing aid lane for armored maneuver.
BM-27 Uragan, 220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryArtilleryBM-27 Uragan220 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket systemThe 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.

Sources

WeaponSystems.net UR-77 MeteoritPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports UR-77 identity, Soviet origin, 1970s development, 1978 service entry, 2S1/MT-LB chassis lineage, two-charge launcher, crew, weight, dimensions, speed, range, amphibious mobility, armor, and UR-67 predecessor context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Army Recognition UR-77Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports mine-clearing role, MDK-3 line-charge description, two-line-charge launcher, 90 m by 6 m corridor, 2S1-like chassis, crew, weight, dimensions, speed, range, protection, and listed user countries. | Accessed: 2026-07-06TWZ UR-77 FireballPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context: Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian UR-77, both Russian and Ukrainian forces used UR-77s in the conflict, Ukraine captured UR-77s from Russian forces, and the vehicle can be used for minefield breaching or direct urban demolition. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Oryx Russian Equipment LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by listing visually documented Russian UR-77 Meteorit destroyed, abandoned, and captured losses during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Oryx Ukrainian Equipment LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by listing visually documented Ukrainian UR-77 Meteorit losses during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-06War Is Boring Syria UR-77Publisher: War Is Boring / Medium | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-use context: a UR-77 was reported near Damascus' Jobar district and pro-regime video showed it engaged in fighting there. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Openwater2016 UR-77 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse for the primary UR-77 Meteorit image, credited to Vitaly V. Kuzmin with stated reuse permission on Commons. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Tatarstan UR-77 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and CC BY 4.0 reuse terms for a Russian Ministry of Defence photograph of a UR-77 at a Tatarstan military-industrial complex in July 2023. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Russian Wikipedia UR-77Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline reference for Russian-language terminology, Zmey Gorynych alias, production-start context, charge-type names, and later UR-07/UR-15 development leads; used only for low-risk terminology and variant-lead context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06