Preparing your view.
At a glance
BM-30 Smerchlarger figure on 4 of 4
M67 recoilless riflelarger figure on 0 of 4
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Measured figures
Maximum; Maximum speed
Single source60 km/h (37 mph)[source]
Maximum; 9M542 rocket
Single sourceMaximum; 9M544 rocket
Single sourceOperational; Operational range
Single source120 km (75 mi) (9M542 rocket) 200 km (120 mi) (9M544 rocket)[source]
850 km (530 mi)[source]
Effective; Effective firing range
Single sourceMaximum; Maximum firing range
Single sourceD12A-525A V12 diesel engine
Single sourceD12A-525A V12 diesel engine 525 hp (391 kW)[source]
Rate of fire
Single source1-2 rpm[source]
Muzzle velocity
Single source700 ft/s (213 m/s)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
Configuration
| Specification | BM-30 Smerch | M67 recoilless rifle |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher[source] | Recoilless rifle[source] |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union , Russia[source] | United States[source] |
| In service | 1989–present[source] | 1960s–present[source] |
| Used by | See Operators[source] | — |
| Wars | Second Chechen War War in Donbas Syrian Civil War Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Russo-Ukrainian war[source] | Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Nicaraguan Revolution Salvadoran Civil War Third Indochina War Soviet–Afghan War Falklands War United States invasion of Grenada United States invasion of Panama 1989 Philippine coup d'état attempt Gulf War War in Afghanistan Moro conflict[source] |
| Designer | Splav State Research and Production Enterprise[source] | — |
| Designed | 1980s[source] | — |
| Manufacturer | Splav State Research and Production Enterprise[source] | Watervliet Arsenal[source] |
| Produced | 1989–present[source] | — |
| Variants | See Variants[source] | — |
| Barrels | 12[source] | — |
| Main armament | 9M55 or 9M528 rockets[source] | — |
| Suspension | 8×8 wheeled[source] | — |
| Former operator · Soviet Union | Soviet Union[source] | — |
| Source measurement | The BM-30 Smerch ( Russian : Смерч , lit. ' tornado ' , 'whirlwind'), 9K58 Smerch or 9A52-2 Smerch-M is a heavy self-propelled 300 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union to fire a full load of 12 solid-fuelled projectiles. The system is intended to defeat personnel, armored, and soft targets in concentration areas, artillery batteries, command posts and ammunition depots . It was designed in the early 1980s and entered service in the Soviet Army in 1989. When first observed by the West in 1983, it received the code MRL 280mm M1983 . It continues in use by Russia; a program to replace it with the Tornado-S began in 2018.[source]BM-30 Smerch · Lead; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage The first confirmed combat uses of the Smerch were in two war zones in 2014. Syrian military forces used the system against rebel forces during the Syrian civil war , including in fighting in Jobar . It was also used by Russia-backed militants to deliver explosive and cluster munitions to Ukrainian military positions and likewise by the Ukrainian Army. Several have been seen in use by pro-Russian rebels. The Russian Ground Forces used the BM-30 in Syria in October 2015 during the Russian intervention in Syria .[source]BM-30 Smerch · Operational history; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage TZM 9T234-2 Transloader with an 850 kg crane and 12 spare rockets[source]BM-30 Smerch · Components; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage 300mm rockets with a firing range of 70 and 90 km and various warheads have been developed for the Smerch MLRS.[source]BM-30 Smerch · Components; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Chassis: MAZ-543M or MAZ-79111[source]BM-30 Smerch · General characteristics; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Launch Rate Salvo Time: 12 rounds in 38 seconds[source]BM-30 Smerch · General characteristics; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage 9A52-2 – Modified variant on MAZ-543M truck.[source]BM-30 Smerch · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage PHL-03 – Chinese development of the PHL96 with 150 km range. The PHL03 is a highly digitized PHL96 with a computerized fire control system (FCS) incorporating GPS/GLONASS, similar to that of the Type 90A SPMRL , with a four-man crew (compared with three for the BM-30/PHL96), which entered service around 2004–2005, only a year or two after its predecessor, the PHL96. As with the PHL96, the PHL03 is not exactly a guided SPMRL because it is the submunitions that are guided, not the rockets themselves.[source]BM-30 Smerch · Similar systems; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage | — |
| Cartridge weight | — | 9.25 lb (4.2 kg) HEAT round 6.79 lb (3.08kg) HE round[source] |
| Action | — | 13.7 in (350 mm) against RHA 31.5 in (800 mm) against concrete[source] |
| Sights | — | 3x M103 Telescopic sight with stadia lines[source] |
| Reported operators |
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