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Russian HIMARS Equivalent Blown to Pieces by Ukraine Drone Mid-Strike, Video
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian drone units destroyed a Russian Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system while it was conducting a strike toward Zaporizhzhia on February 21.
The Tornado-S is widely considered the Russian equivalent to the American HIMARS due to its use of long-range, satellite-guided precision munitions.
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According to Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, the system was hit on a firing position in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region. Brovdi reported the strike on his official Telegram channel, stating that the launcher was targeted at the moment it was firing.
Footage released by Ukrainian military sources shows outgoing rocket launches, after which a strike drone hit the launcher’s guide rails. The system caught fire, and its onboard ammunition began detonating. Ukrainian operators reportedly used the visible rocket launches to calculate the position of the system in real time before carrying out the strike.
The Tornado-S is a modernized version of the Soviet-designed Smerch 300 mm multiple launch rocket system. It is equipped with precision-guided munitions and is capable of striking targets at distances of up to 120 kilometers using satellite-guided rockets, including the 9M542, 9M544, and 9M549 projectiles.
Like the Western HIMARS, the system relies on high-tech guidance to hit strategic targets deep behind the front lines, making its destruction a significant blow to Russia’s long-range strike capabilities.
The system can also deploy reconnaissance munitions such as the 9M534, which releases a T-90 unmanned aerial vehicle during flight to transmit targeting data.
According to Ukrainian military officials, systems of this type have been used to strike cities including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kherson, and Nikopol. Brovdi described the Tornado-S as the most powerful system in Russia’s multiple launch rocket system lineup, which also includes the Grad and Uragan families.
Ukrainian sources state that this is the fourth confirmed destruction of a Smerch or Tornado-S system since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The first was reported destroyed in the Kharkiv region in autumn 2022, followed by another in 2023. In October 2025, Ukrainian National Guard special forces reported destroying a Smerch system using drone-dropped munitions.
Earlier on February 21, Ukrainian-made Flamingo cruise missiles reportedly struck the Votkinsk Plant in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, a key producer of Iskander and strategic ballistic missiles, with OSINT analysts citing geolocated footage of damaged workshops and Russian authorities confirming an overnight attack.
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