Remote mining rockets for Grad MLRS
Unified designs
A characteristic feature of the entire family of Grad multiple launch rocket systems is the use of the same solutions and components on different samples. This approach allowed us to create a large range of ammunition, including remote mining shells. The development of the latter was carried out in the seventies and eighties of the last century.
The placement of mines at a distance from the firing position can be carried out using missiles 3M16 and 9M28K. Both of these products were created on the basis of mastered components and unified with other Grada ammunition. They are built on the basis of a cylindrical housing of standard dimensions, the rear of which is a unified engine compartment. Differences between the 3M16 and 9M28K from other weapons are only in the design and filling of the head.
Thanks to this design, mining shells can be used by almost all Grad MLRS. An exception is the 9P132 handheld launcher with a single rail. Thus, any rocket artillery fighting vehicle can perform the functions of a mine layer.
Shell 3M16
To create an obstacle to infantry or unprotected equipment, it was proposed to use the 3M16 missile. This product has a length of 3,02 m and a caliber of 122 mm. Starting weight - 56,4 kg. The missile part of such a projectile is connected to a cluster head part weighing 21,6 kg.
The 3M16 payload consists of five POM-2 anti-personnel mines. The latter are placed in one row along the longitudinal axis of the rocket inside the tubular holding device. The head part with a length of 1,6 m is resettable. It has a squib for ejecting mines in a downward section of the trajectory. The discharge is controlled by a TM-120 remote tube screwed into the rocket head fairing.
Mines are delivered at a distance from 1,5 to 13,4 km. The load of one projectile when firing at maximum range falls in an ellipse of 105x70 m in size. When firing multiple rockets from an 40 salvo, the payload is scattered over an area of 250 thousand square meters.
Anti-personnel mine POM-2 "Swelling" is made in the form of a cylinder with openable side paws. The mass of the mine is 1,5 kg, of which 140 g of explosive. Mine height - 180 mm, diameter - 63 mm. The blasting is carried out by the VP-09С fuse when exposed to the target sensor thread. The process of placing a mine on a platoon begins when it is ejected from a rocket and lasts several minutes. Self-liquidator triggers in 4-100 hours
According to the regulations, to mine a site with a width of 1 km along the front, a volley of 20 3M16 shells is required. At the same time, 100 min. The use of several launchers allows you to create a minefield of the required size and density.
Shell 9M28K
Together with 3M16 or on its own, the 9M28K projectile (in some sources also referred to as 9М22К), designed to set anti-tank mines. In dimensions, it is similar to 3М16, but differs in a larger mass - 57,7 kg. The warhead accounts for 22,8 kg. The operating principles and flight characteristics of the two products are similar.
In the detachable head of the 9M28K product, three anti-tank mines PTM-3 are placed with the help of restraining devices. The emission of mines is carried out on the descending part of the trajectory using a pyrotechnic charge controlled by a TM-120 tube.
The PTM-3 mine has a length of 330 mm and weighs 4,9 kg (charge 1,8 kg of TNT). A VT-06 proximity fuse is used that responds to a magnetic field or mine displacement. The defeat of the armored target is carried out in the caterpillar or in the bottom. For greater efficiency, recesses in the form of cumulative funnels are provided on the charge and on the walls of the housing. Transfer to a combat position takes about a minute. The self-liquidator is triggered within 16-24 hours after being cocked.
The range of the 9M28K shells is from 1,5 to 13,4 km. All the mines of one rocket fall into an ellipse of approx. 105x70 m. The product carries only three mines, which is why the installation of a fence of the required density requires a greater consumption of ammunition - up to 90 missiles at 1 km of the front. Fewer mines per plot dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the boom.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main positive quality of rocket launchers of remote mining is the ability to quickly set up a mine-explosive barrage at a considerable distance and directly on the enemy’s path. In terms of range and safety, the installation of mines MLRS surpass all other options for barriers.
The presence of shells 3М16 and 9М28К, carrying anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, allows you to create minefields for various purposes and the required size. The operation of the Grad with such ammunition forces the enemy to spend time and energy organizing passages for manpower and equipment, which slows his progress.
MLRS in the role of directors of mines can be used together with specialized engineering equipment and helicopters. In this case, the command receives different means of mining and can choose the best for current tasks. Volley fire systems prove to be a means for mining at long ranges, while most other barriers are forced to work directly on the future minefield.
However, mining rockets for the Grad have significant drawbacks. First of all, it is a small payload. In the head part with a diameter of 122 mm and a length of 1,6 m, no more than 3-5 min can be placed. As a result, the installation of a large minefield is associated with a significant consumption of shells. Problems may arise with the supply of artillery units and the provision of mining.
For comparison, 300-mm shells for MLRS "Smerch" capable of carrying 64 mines POM-2 or 25 PTM-3. Thus, the multiple-caliber multiple launch rocket system is several times greater than the Grad in terms of mining efficiency with less munition consumption.
Limited fit
The creation of rocket shells 3М16 and 9М28К made it possible in practice to show the fundamental possibility of performing remote mining by MLRS forces, as well as to develop the necessary technologies. However, the results of these projects were far from ideal.
The characteristics and qualities of Grada as a mine director are limited by its low payload and the reduced range of specialized missiles. Because of this, remote mining shells, having entered service, were used limitedly. According to some sources, such systems were not even taken into account in military planning and were never used in the course of exercises.
However, the ideas and technologies of the 3М16 and 9М28К projects yielded real results. Since the seventies, Soviet industry has developed a number of similar shells for MLRS "Hurricane" and "Smerch". Such missiles, having a larger caliber and launch mass, are capable of carrying larger “ammunition,” and therefore differ favorably from their predecessors. New products have found their place in the army and continue to serve to this day.
- Ryabov Kirill
- Wikimedia Commons, Russianarms.ru
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