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Ukrainian Drone Operators Destroy Russian Tornado-S MLRS Worth Over $15 Million
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Ukraine's drone operators destroy Russian Tornado-S MLRS worth over $15 million on Huliaipole front, Ukraine's 3rd Border Guard Detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevhen Pikus reported on July 2.
Ukrainian drone operators from the Phoenix unmanned systems unit of the Pomsta Border Guard Brigade struck a Russian Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) while it was on the move in the Huliaipole sector.
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According to the unit, the destroyed Tornado-S system has an estimated value of more than $15 million.
The brigade said the strike was carried out by operators of the Phoenix UAV unit, who successfully targeted the Russian MLRS during movement, preventing it from being deployed.
In addition to the attack on the artillery system, Ukrainian drone crews conducted strikes against Russian logistics routes in the same area.
“Precise strikes hit enemy motorcycles, significantly disrupted the enemy's movement along this section of the front, and eliminated Russian personnel,” the brigade said.
What is the Tornado-S system
The Tornado family includes 122 mm and 300 mm multiple launch rocket systems developed as modernised replacements for the legacy Grad and Smerch platforms. The systems underwent state trials between 2012 and 2015 and are produced by Russia's state-owned NPO SPLAV design bureau in Tula, part of the Rostec defense conglomerate.
A key feature of the Tornado-S is its advanced fire-control system, which combines a digital ballistic computer with Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation network. The launcher is equipped to receive satellite data, exchange information through secure communication channels, and navigate using digital mapping systems.
The system's high degree of automation allows the launcher to be aimed and prepared for firing without the crew leaving the cabin, although manual operation remains available if required. The Tornado family includes the 9K51M Tornado-G, based on the Grad system, and the 9K515 Tornado-S, which replaces the Smerch. Thanks to its automated systems, the Tornado-S requires a crew of only three personnel.
The latest strike follows earlier successful attacks on the same type of system. In April, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that Ukrainian forces had destroyed another Russian 9K515 Tornado-S launcher near Melitopol using a medium-range strike drone.
That operation also targeted several other Russian military assets, including an ammunition depot, a command and observation post near Selydove in the Donetsk region, drone control centres near Malynivka in Donetsk and Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, and a Russian repair facility near Mykolaivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
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