BM-14

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The BM-14 is a multiple rocket launcher system that was developed and commissioned in the Soviet Union in the 1950s . The GRAU index is 8U32 . The rockets have a caliber of 140 mm.

development

The BM-14 was designed as the successor to the BM-31-12 rocket launcher from World War II . In 1952 the BM-14 was introduced into the Soviet land forces . Each armored and motorized rifle division had a battalion with 18 launchers. The system was eliminated from the Soviet armed forces in the mid-1970s and replaced by the BM-21 .

variants

BM-14-16 on ZIS-151 in a museum (2014)
BM-14-17 based on the GAZ-63A truck
  • BM-14-16 (8U32): series version from 1953; installed on a ZIS-151 with 16 gun tubes.
  • BM-14M (2B2): serial version from 1958; installed on a ZIL-157 with 16 launcher tubes.
  • BM-14MM (2B2R): serial version from 1959; installed on a ZIL-131 with 16 launcher tubes.
  • BM-14-17 (8U35): series version from 1959; installed on a GAZ-63A with 17 launcher tubes.
  • RPU-14 (8U38): Pulled version for airborne troops on a trailer with 16 launcher tubes.
  • WP-8: Polish version of the RPU-14.
  • WM-18: Marine version with 18 launcher tubes; installed on dropships.
  • A-22 Ogon: marine version with 22 launch tubes; installed on dropships.
  • A-223 Sneg: marine version with 2 launcher tubes; installed on river warships.

A tube package with 16 or 17 tubes with a caliber of 140 millimeters is mounted on the respective vehicle . A rocket launcher is capable of launching all rockets within seven to ten seconds. Reloading an empty launcher takes two to four minutes. The vehicle crew consists of three soldiers.

The missiles are spin stabilized and have no stabilizing wings . The swirl of the rocket is created by inclined nozzles arranged around the main drive nozzle. The rockets have a large dispersion and are therefore only suitable for fighting area targets. The maximum spread of a rocket salvo is 132 m. The missiles measure 1,086 m in length. They have a takeoff weight of 39.6 kg, with the warhead accounting for 18.8 kg. The maximum range is 9.81 km with a burnout speed of 400 m / s.

Three types of missiles are used:

  • M-14OF with a fragmentation warhead
  • M-14F with a smoke and incendiary warhead
  • M-14Kchr with 8S31 warhead containing 2.2 kg of chemical warfare agent GB , AC or HD (Lost).

distribution

Within the Soviet armed forces, the BM-14 was replaced and retired by the BM-21 in the mid-1970s . Some of the BM-14 has been in active service in the exporting countries.

commitment

The BM-14 and its variants were used in various armed conflicts: Algerian civil war , First Gulf War , civil war in Libya . Civil war in Syria and in other conflicts on the African continent . The BM-14 was also used in combat by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hezbollah in Lebanon, among others . Insurgent Iraqi terror groups still use the system to some extent, but often with the most varied of modifications. In all battles, the BM-14 has proven to be reliable and robust.

Web links

Commons : BM-14  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files