According to the Russian military website Repter, Russia plans to transplant the active 9K515 Tornado-S (upgraded version of 9A52-2) 300mm multiple rocket launcher system to the high mobility off-road heavy-duty truck "Platform-O" series chassis developed by Kamaz starting next year. According to the images circulating on the internet, there are currently two porting schemes for the system. The first one (left in the picture) is to mount 12 sets of launch tubes on the KamAZ-73501 platform, and the second one (right in the picture) is to mount 6 sets of launch tubes on the KamAZ-6560M platform. It is reported that this improvement plan was validated and designed by the Russian military equipment manufacturer Motovilikha factory. Analysts believe that the improved 6-unit lightweight rocket launcher system not only reduces the load, but also has excellent off-road capabilities that can adapt to more complex terrain conditions. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that it may be used for export. Compared to the 12 unit rocket launcher, the 6-unit rocket launcher maintains consistent technical performance and is more affordable, which can meet the needs of a large number of potential customers and also perfectly benchmark China's "Guardian" series. The 9K515 Tornado-S is a new long-range rocket artillery system currently in service in the Russian Army. If judged solely by its appearance, it is almost indistinguishable from the 9A52-2, which also uses the MAZ-543M chassis. The biggest difference between the two lies in the ammunition they are equipped with. The 9K515 uses a 300mm rocket with the guidance capability of the GLONASS satellite system, with a maximum range of 200 kilometers and a hit accuracy difference of only 20-30 meters, far less than the 100 meter accuracy error of traditional rockets. On the warhead, the 9K515 also has multiple options such as armor piercing ammunition, thermobaric ammunition, and rapid beam ammunition, which greatly improves both range and power compared to its predecessor. Not only that, Russia also plans to place small unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the missile body, which will guide the target for the warhead after separation and enhance the terminal penetration capability.

▲Rocket missiles carrying drones

The reason why the 9K515 remote ignition system is equipped with the "Platform-O" series chassis is because the MAZ-543M is already a product of the 1960s, and all indicators are outdated. KamAZ-73501 has a load capacity of 25 tons, a combat weight of 48 tons, and a power of 550 horsepower. The control cabin and cockpit are integrated, and the entire vehicle is equipped with an additional armor kit, with three defense capabilities. More importantly, the independent oil and gas suspension design is adopted, which greatly improves the passability and can also overcome the common low-lying wetland terrain in Central Europe. However, the new chassis also faces a problem, that is, its universality is not as good as the MAZ-543M. As a chassis with a service life of up to 40 years, the MAZ-543M has always dominated the main position of heavy chassis in Russia. It can be imagined that replacing the new chassis will be a challenge for maintenance personnel who are familiar with the MAZ-543M.Although the chassis of 9K515 has been replaced, the launch device is still the traditional directional launch tube, which obviously does not conform to the development trend of "modular rocket artillery" today and does not have an advantage in the international arms market? In fact, Russia once attempted to develop a "box type remote fire" system, but the final result was not satisfactory. In 2007, Russia launched the 9A53-S long-range fire system, which consists of two modular ammunition boxes and is compatible with rockets of different calibers such as 300mm and 122mm. However, it is embarrassing that this modular ammunition box still needs to be filled with rockets, making it impossible to replace the entire module. This has made the Russian military very dissatisfied. Instead of spending so much effort, it is better to think about how to upgrade the existing long-range missiles. By 2017, with the emergence of 9K515, the 9A53-S project was completely abandoned.

▲9A53-S Remote Rocket Launcher System

Our PCH-191 box fire, although appearing a few years later than Russia, has far surpassed it in terms of technical performance, the kind that even the taillights cannot be seen. As the most advanced rocket launcher in the world, the most prominent feature of the 191 Type Box Fire is the use of "modular" and "co firing" technology. It can carry 5 sets of 300mm modules, 4 sets of 370mm modules, and even 750mm ballistic missile modules with a range of up to 500 kilometers. These modules are all loaded in 2 independent launch stands and can be combined according to different mission requirements, making it very flexible. Originally, it took about an hour to load a truckload of ammunition, but now only a simple lifting operation is needed, which can be completed in ten minutes, saving time and effort while achieving "quick firing and quick withdrawal". Compared to traditional long-range fire with directional firepower suppression, the 191 Type Box Fire has the ability to strike moving targets on land/sea. The missile it carries adopts the combination of Beidou guidance and inertial guidance technology, which can be remotely transmitted by the missile control system to control the full range attitude change of the rocket, achieving a strike accuracy of meters. In last year's international military competition, we also demonstrated a new type of warfare method, which is to use unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to track and identify targets, automatically transmit information through data links, and guide precise long-range strikes. The strike effect is comparable to tactical missiles. The 191 type box fire, like the 181 type vehicle mounted howitzer, has a high degree of automation in the entire system, using an automated fire control system and a graphical operating interface. The operation process is simple and clear, and the required number of operators is greatly reduced.

▲191 type box fire in unfolded state

According to official reports, the Type 191 Box Fire has been deployed in multiple artillery brigades of our army, stationed in areas including the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the southeastern coast, possessing strong strategic deterrence. Of course, the installation of the 191 Type Box Fire does not mean that the 03 Type Far Fire is useless. The two will form a combination of "high and low matching" until the 191 Type Box Fire is fully equipped in our army. Of course, don't forget that our coastal defense brigade is also one of the equipment units of Far Fire, but the number of equipment is relatively small compared to the artillery brigade. The Type 03 long-range fire that will be replaced in the future can be transferred to these units, completely solving the fear of insufficient firepower.

▲Coastal Defense Brigade Type 03 Far Fire conducts live ammunition launch

According to the Military Balance Report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, as of 2020, the number of active long-range missiles in our country has surpassed that of Russia, ranking first in the world in terms of scale. We are constantly improving our technology in the field of long-range rocket artillery, and it is fully blooming, comparable to the navy's "dumplings". Not only has Far Fire made achievements, but in the brigade artillery battalion, our 122mm rocket artillery has also begun to be replaced with modular rocket artillery and adapted to different chassis according to the nature of the unit's mission, such as the MV3 series 4 × 4 off-road tactical truck chassis and the Mengshi CTL181A protective armored vehicle chassis, and so on. Of course, the situation we have today was not achieved overnight, but developed through step-by-step experience and imitation. Taking the earliest Type 81 122mm self-propelled rocket launcher as an example, it looks very similar to a replica version of the BM-21 "Hail" rocket launcher at first glance. However, it encountered many difficulties in the process. Due to the excessive horizontal dispersion of the original Soviet made rocket launcher, in order to identify the root cause, we had to tackle several Vietnamese BM-21s captured from the self-defense counterattack battlefield. In the end, we successfully overcame the problem of excessive shooting accuracy errors. After entering the 1990s, our demand for long-range rocket launchers became increasingly prominent, so we introduced the technology of the BM-30 "Tornado" rocket launcher from Russia and developed our own independent model PHL-03 long-range rocket launcher. As the only long-range tactical suppression firepower point of the army, our pursuit of rocket artillery performance is not limited to this. In the subsequent development, we have also absorbed the design of the American M270 rocket artillery, and continuously explored our own unique path based on the strengths of others. In the blink of an eye over the past 30 years, China's Far Fire has gone from being mentored by the Soviet Union to now overtaking in corners and ultimately becoming the Blue Star King.

As the big brother in the field of rocket artillery, Russia's equipment development direction is now contrary to ours, and there is even a technological gap that is inevitably lamentable. Many people believe that this is the result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which led to the decline of the Russian economy and the increasing gap between military spending and that of China, making it impossible to invest funds in technological research and development. In fact, this view is also very one-sided, because the Russian Army inherited the tactical thinking of the Soviet Union and has always placed the core of long-range strikes on tactical ballistic missiles. As of now, Russia has equipped no less than 10 Iskander missile brigades in its army. Compared to the "Tornado-S" long-range fire, "Iskander" obviously has a higher priority and naturally requires less energy to be invested in the long-range fire. However, in recent years, Russia has also been actively exploring the combination of the Tornado Far Fire System and the "Iskander" tactical missile system in combat, enabling data sharing and coordinated operations between artillery and missile units. However, even if they start to make up for it, this method of gnawing on the Soviet Union's old foundation will be difficult to achieve counter superiority against China again.

Source: Military of Strong Countries