BM-27 Uragan is a multiple rocket launcher that was developed in the early '70s. It is also called 9K57. Uragan started serving the Soviet Union in 1975, and today it serves at least 10 countries, like Russia. Some countries that use the system are Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Syria, and more. Uragan was the largest and most lethal system of its time until the '80s when Smerch was revealed. The missile system participated in combat in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, in the two Russian wars in Chechnya and the Russo-Georgina war. It was also used by the Syrian Army against Israel in the '80s and the latest conflicts in Ukraine.
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The Uragan launching vehicle is called 9P140. The launcher has 16 tubs for 220m missiles and a standard missile is almost 4.8 meters and weighs around 280kg. Only the warhead alone weights 90-100kg, depending on the version. The systems can launch training, HE-FRAG, chemical, incendiary, explosive, anti-tank, and anti-personnel ammunition. It can be shot missile by missile or a salvo that can cover a 43,000 square meter area. The maximum range reaches 34km.
The system needs a crew of four and can be prepared to fire in 3 minutes. If the required preparations haven't been done, it may take up to 12 minutes to put the system in fire mode. Another 3 minutes are needed to change it from launch mode to transfer mode. The system can launch missiles from a button in a cabin or over a distance of 60 meters with a cable.
The production of Uragan stopped years ago. The system may be replaced by the Uragan-1M missile system that is being developed by Russia for the last 25 years. The new system fires 220mm and 300mm missiles. Its launching platform is based on the MZKT-7930 of Belarus that features a 8x8 design.
