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Ukraine Reinvents the BM-21 Grad With Digital Fire Control and Rapid Mobility
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Artillery units of Ukraine’s National Guard have conducted training exercises using a modernized BM-21 “Grad” multiple launch rocket system fitted with a new chassis and digital fire-control systems, according to the National Guard’s Separate Artillery Brigade on December 25.
The upgraded version of the Grad has been mounted on a MAN chassis and equipped with electric drives and a digital fire-control system. These upgrades significantly reduce deployment time while improving targeting accuracy and overall strike effectiveness.
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Remote control capabilities allow crews to operate the system more quickly and safely, minimizing the time spent at firing positions—an essential advantage in counter-battery environments.
During the exercises, National Guard artillery units practiced the full combat cycle, from preparation and firing to rapid relocation. The mobility of the MAN chassis, combined with the ability to carry additional ammunition, enhances the system’s operational flexibility.
The modernization also opens the possibility of integrating electronic warfare systems, further expanding the Grad’s tactical role on the battlefield.
The upgraded launcher reflects Ukraine’s broader effort to modernize legacy artillery systems, combining proven firepower with digital technologies to increase survivability, responsiveness, and effectiveness in modern high-intensity combat.
The BM-21 Grad (“Hail”) is one of the most recognizable and widely used Soviet-designed multiple rocket launchers. Developed in the early 1960s, it was officially adopted into service on March 28, 1963, after a series of field and combat tests. Since then, it has been used in conflicts around the world, including extensively by Russian forces in their war against Ukraine.
Typically mounted on a Ural-4320 high-mobility truck chassis, the BM-21 is armed with 40 launch tubes capable of firing 122 mm rockets.
A full salvo takes only 20 seconds, covering an impact area of up to 14.5 hectares. The system has a maximum firing range of 40 kilometers, a reload time of 7 minutes, and can retreat from a position within 1 minute after launching an attack.
The launcher’s crew typically consists of three personnel, and the vehicle can carry up to 60 rockets in total.
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine was developing its own multifunctional missile system, modeled in part on the US-made HIMARS, to reduce its reliance on foreign suppliers and adapt launch platforms to battlefield experience.
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