Ukrainian Drones Ignite Russian BM-21 Grad Rocket Launcher in Ammunition Fireball

Ukrainian drone operators destroyed a Russian multiple-launch rocket system on the Kupiansk front, triggering a powerful ammunition detonation that engulfed the vehicle in flames, Ukraine’s 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade reported on July 14.

Footage released by the brigade shows operators carrying out several strikes against the launcher before its ammunition catches fire and begins detonating.

The vehicle seen in the video resembles the widely used Soviet-designed BM-21 Grad, although the exact model has not been officially confirmed.

The 77th Brigade, part of the Air Assault Forces’ 7th Rapid Response Corps, said its operators continue targeting high-value Russian weapons to disrupt planned attacks and reduce the threat to Ukrainian troops and civilians.

The BM-21 Grad—whose name means “Hail”—is one of the world’s most widely deployed multiple-launch rocket systems. Developed in the early 1960s, it officially entered Soviet service in 1963 and has since appeared in conflicts across the world.

Mounted on a Ural-4320 high-mobility truck, the system carries 40 launch tubes for 122mm rockets. It can fire a complete salvo in approximately 20 seconds, saturating an area of up to 14.5 hectares.

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War in Ukraine

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Depending on the ammunition used, the Grad can engage targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers, or roughly 25 miles. Its crew can reload the launcher in about seven minutes and leave the firing position within approximately one minute of completing a salvo.

Russian forces have used BM-21 systems extensively throughout their war against Ukraine, making them a priority target for Ukrainian drone units hunting artillery and rocket launchers behind the front.

Previously, Ukrainian drone operators destroyed a full battery of Russian BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems on the Pokrovsk axis, in what appears to be a coordinated strike involving multiple units.

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