Ukraine’s Special Forces Hunt Down Russian Grad Before Its 40 Rockets Can Fly

Operators from the Hornet unit of Ukraine’s 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment struck a Russian BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system after locating it at a firing position, the regiment reported on August 19 while releasing footage of the attack.

Once the Russian launcher was identified, a strike drone operated by the Hornet unit was sent against the BM-21 Grad.

The Grad remains one of Russia’s most widely used multiple-launch rocket systems in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Developed in the early 1960s, it entered Soviet service in 1963 and has since appeared in conflicts around the world.

Mounted on a Ural-4320 truck chassis, the system carries 40 launch tubes for 122mm rockets and can fire its entire load in roughly 20 seconds.

A full Grad salvo can saturate an area of up to 14.5 hectares, or about 36 acres, making the launcher particularly dangerous against troop concentrations, defensive positions, and infrastructure.

Depending on the ammunition used, the BM-21 can engage targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers, or roughly 25 miles.

Previously, Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian BM-27 Uragan multiple-launch rocket system in the Nikopol area after locating the launcher concealed among trees.

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