Yuri Lyamin with Michael Smallwood
From Syria comes another video of interest, this time showing remnants of a cargo rocket which landed near Namar, in the southern governorate of Daraa. The video shows a component of the cargo section of a rocket, likely belonging to a 220 mm 9M27K series rocket (9M27K or 9M27K1, both loaded with fragmentation submunitions) as fired by the 9K57 Uragan (Ураган; ‘hurricane’) multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS). Unlike the 300 mm 9M55K cargo rocket recently documented in Syria, the remnants of these munitions come as something less of a surprise. The Syrian Arab Army is widely believed to possess the 9K57 system, however details on the range of 220 mm munitions in their arsenal are scarce.
The photo below, taken in the Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps in Saint Petersburg, shows mock-ups of the 9M27K and 9M27F (HE-Fragmentation) rockets on display. The second photo, taken at the 2006 International Defence Exhibition of Land Forces in Moscow, displays a mockup of the 9M27K warhead.
Remains of 9M27K rockets have previously been photographed in South Ossetia in 2008 during the Russia-Georgia conflict, as seen below.
The component seen in Syria, part of the warhead’s cargo section, most likely reflects the use of 9M27K or 9M27K1 rockets. The technical characteristics of the 9M27K are given below. Submunitions for these weapons may well be documented in Syria in the coming days. Anyone with images or video of such, is invited to contact us.
Technical Details
220 mm Rocket Types Available for the 9K57
9M27K with 30 x 9N210 fragmentation submunitions
9M27K1 with 30 x 9N235 fragmentation submunitions
9M27K2 with 24 x PTM-1 anti-tank mines
9M27K3 with 312 x PFM anti-personnel mines
9M27F with HE-Fragmentation warhead
9M27S with incendiary warhead
9M51 with FAE warhead
9M59 with 9 x PTM-3 anti-tank mines
9M27K Cargo Rocket with 9N210 Fragmentation Submunitions
The 9M27K cargo rocket with 9N210 fragmentation submunitions is designed to engage concentrations of infantry and light vehicles in open terrain or light cover.
Range: 10-35 km
Weight: 270 kg
Length: 5178 mm
Warhead weight: 90 kg
Number of submunitions: 30 x 9N210 submunitions
Submunition weight: 1.8 kg
Submunition explosive weight: 0.3 kg
Number of preformed fragments per submunition: 370 to 400 x 2 g
Submunition self-destruct time: 110 sec
Special thanks to Eliot Higgins of Brown Moses Blog for his assistance. Technical specifications taken from the Splav State Research and Production Association FSUE’s website. Technical drawing from here; images from here, here, and here. Credits: Oleg V. Bebnev, A.V. Karpenko.