BM-14
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2013) |
| BM-14 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1967 - c.1990 (USSR) |
| Wars | Algerian Civil War, War in Afghanistan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | NII 303 |
| Designed | 1951 |
The BM-14 (BM for Boyevaya Mashina, 'combat vehicle'), is a Soviet-made 140mm multiple rocket launcher, fielded by the Soviet Union.
The BM-14 can fire rockets fitted with chemical (MS-14), smoke (M-14D) or high-explosive fragmentation (M-14-OF) warheads. It is similar to the BM-13 "Katyusha" and was partly replaced in service by the 122 mm BM-21 Grad.
The rocket has a range of about 9.8 km and can carry a warhead of 8 kg weight. Launchers were built in 16 and 17-round variants.
The weapon is not accurate as there is no guidance system, but it is extremely effective in saturation bombardment.
Algerian armed forces used BM-14 rocket launchers in 1993 during the Algerian Civil War.[citation needed]
The BM-14 was believed to have been the delivery method for the Ghouta chemical attacks in August 2013, during the Syrian Civil War[1] The BM-14 is used by the Syrian government.
Variants
- BM-14 (8U32) - 16-round model (two rows of 8), launcher mounted on the ZiS-151 truck. Entered service in 1952. Also known as BM-14-16.
- BM-14-17 (8U35) - 17-round (8+9 launch tubes) launcher, mounted on the GAZ-63A. Developed in 1959. This launcher was also used on naval vessels, for example Project 1204 patrol boats.
- RPU-14 (8U38) - towed 16-round version, based on the carriage of the 85mm gun D-44 and used by Soviet Airborne Troops, where it was replaced by the 122mm BM-21V "Grad-V".
Operators
Algeria - 50
Angola
Burkina Faso
Cambodia - 10
Cuba
Egypt
Indonesia - Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) operates 24 BM-14-17 launchers.
Madagascar
Mongolia
Russia - 50 BM-13, BM-14.[3]
Sudan - 200 BM-14
Syria - 200 BM-14 purchased in 1967 [4]
Soviet Union - Passed on to successor states in 1991.
Vietnam - 700
Yemen - 30
Similar designs
- The Type 63 130mm multiple rocket launcher (not to be confused with the towed Type 63 of 107mm) is the Chinese version of the BM-14-17. It has a slightly smaller calibre but is fitted with 19 instead of 17 launch tubes. The Type 63 MRL is based on the Nanjing NJ-230 or 230A 4x4 truck, a licence-produced version of the Soviet GAZ-63/63A.
- The WP-8z (Polish: Wyrzutnia Pocisków rakietowych) was a Polish towed rocket launcher that was developed in 1960. The weapon was subsequently produced between 1964 and 1965. It fired the same rockets as the RPU-14 but had only 8 launch tubes. The main operator was the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division (Polish: 6 Pomorska Dywizja Powietrzno-Desantowa).[5] with 12-18 WP-8s in its inventory.[6][7][8]
References
- ^ "Syria chemical attack: What we know". BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ a b "БМ-14 — Википедия" (in Template:Ru icon). Ru.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Russian Army Equipment
- ^ http://portal.sipri.org/publications/pages/transfer/trade-register
- ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's | IHS". Articles.janes.com. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "6 PDPD". Oocities.org. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "Wyrzutnia rakietowa WP-8z". Militarium. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "WP-8z – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia" (in Template:Pl icon). Pl.wikipedia.org. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
External links
- Use of BM-14 by the Taliban
- Description of BM-14
- Use of BM-14 by Cuban Armed Forces
- Range and Payload
- Algerian use of BM-14 as of 1993
- Walk-around of Type 63 130mm MRL
See also
- BM-12 multiple rocket launcher
- Katyusha World War II multiple rocket launchers (BM-13, BM-8, and BM-31)
- M16 (rocket), U.S. 4.5 inch multiple rocket launcher
- BM-21 Grad 122 mm multiple rocket launcher
- BM-27 Uragan 220 mm multiple rocket launcher