The RM-70 (''Raketomet vzor 1970'')

multiple rocket launcher A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a volle ...

is a Czechoslovak Army version and heavier variant of the

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first com ...

multiple rocket launcher, providing enhanced performance over its parent area-saturation

rocket artillery Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also ...

system that was introduced in 1971 (the NATO designation is M1972).

Overview

RM-70 was developed in Czechoslovakia as a successor for the

RM-51 The RM-51 (''Raketomet vzor 1951'') multiple rocket launcher was a Czechoslovak Army alternative of the BM-13 multiple rocket launcher developed in the 1950s. Variants * vz. 51 - Original model, based on Praga V3S 6×6 truck. * M-51 - Export ve ...

, achieving

initial operational capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States D ...

with its

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in 1972. The launcher was being produced in

Dubnica nad Váhom Dubnica nad Váhom (; Slovak before 1927: ''Dubnica'', german: Dubnitz an der Waag, hu, Máriatölgyes, before 1899 ''Dubnic(z)'') is a town in the Ilava District, Trenčín Region in Slovakia. Geography It is located on the Váh river, in the ...

(

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

). Originally, it was sold to

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. After the Soviet Union collapse and the split of Czechoslovakia into the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and

, it was sold to several countries in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, America,

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and Europe. RM-70 replaced the

Ural-375D The Ural-375 is a general purpose 4.5 ton 6×6 truck, which has been produced at the Ural Automotive Plant in the Russian SFSR since 1961. The Ural-375 replaced the ZIL-157 as the standard Soviet Army truck in 1979. It was itself replaced by the ...

6x6 truck by a Tatra T813 "Kolos" 8x8 truck as carrier platform for the 40-round launcher. The new carrier vehicle provides enough space for carrying 40 additional 122 mm rockets pack for reload. Nevertheless, RM-70 performance remains near the same as Grad even in terms of vehicle's speed and range. This rocket launcher can fire both individual rounds and volleys, principally by means of

indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim ...

. It is designed for concentrated fire coverage of large areas (up to in one volley) by high explosive fragmentation shells. The fire is robust with almost 256 kg of explosives used in one volley of 40 rockets. The rockets used are either the original Soviet 9M22 and 9M28, or locally developed models. These are the JROF with a range of 20.75 km, the JROF-K with a range of 11 km, the "Trnovnik" with 63

HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

-bomblets and a range of 17.5 km, the "Kuš" with five PPMI-S1

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter may ...

s or the "Krizhna-R" with four PTMI-D anti-tank mines and a range of 19.45 km. The vehicle is provided with a central tyre pressure regulation system (to allow its adaptation to the nature of the traversed ground), a headlight with white light on the forward cab roof and, if necessary, with a snow plough SSP 1000 or a dozer blade BZ-T to arrange its own emplacement or to remove obstacles.

Variants

Czech Republic and Slovakia

*RM-70 - Basic model, as described. * - Unarmored version of the RM-70, based on the

Tatra T815 The Tatra 815 is a truck family, produced by Czech company Tatra. It uses the traditional tatra concept of rigid backbone tube and swinging half-axles giving independent suspension. The vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x8, 10x10, 12 ...

VPR9 8x8.1R truck with 265 hp engine T3-930-51. Combat weight: 26.1 t. Sometimes called RM-70M. * - Modernised vehicle with new fire control and navigation equipment, can use a new type of rocket with a range of 36 km. Slovakia has ordered 50 upgrade packages. * - In December 2000, the Slovak Ministry of Defense and Delta Defence started the RM-70 Modular German-Slovak modernization project. RM-70 Modular allows this artillery system to launch either twenty-eight 122mm rockets, or six 227mm rockets as used on the

M270 MLRS The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS) is an American-developed armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher. The U.S. Army variant of the MLRS vehicle is based on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The first M270s ...

. This way the system became fully

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

interoperable. The truck cabin is entirely armored. The Slovak Republic signed for 26 upgraded artillery systems with the first one delivered on May 20, 2005. RM-70 Modular is being offered as an upgrade for RM-70 owners. *Vz.92 "Križan" VMZ (''velkokapacitní mobilní zatarasovač'') - Engineer vehicle, based on the

36.265 with a lightly armoured cabin. The vehicle comes in different configurations, the standard being a 40-round rocket launcher (for "Kuš" and "Krizhna-R" rockets), a mechanical mine layer for anti-tank mines (PT Mi-U or PT Mi-Ba-III) and two dispensers for anti-personnel mines (PP Mi-S1). * - Upgraded version integrated on a Tatra T-815-7 truck chassis powered by a Tatra T3C

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

with 270 kW of output, coupled with a Tatra 10 TS 210 N

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...

, with semi-automatic Tatra Norgen drive system and an additional gearbox Tatra 2.30TRS. It has a range of around and a top speed of with an armored and NBC-protected crew cabin.

Operators

Current operators

* - 40 * - RM-70 Vampire * - 120 RM-70 * * - 6 RM-70 * - 36 RM-70/85 (locally known as 122 RakH 89) former East German, delivered in 1991 * - 18 Upgraded RM-70 in service * - 158 RM-70 along with 205,000 122mm rockets from former East German Army stocks in the mid-1990s. 111 RM-70 * - 9 acquired around 2003, 8 new RM-70 Vampir acquired in 2016 * - 36 (sold by Czechoslovakia between 1975-1976) * - Unknown quantity, 2 confirmed delivered * - Unknown number purchased from second-hand sources during the Cold War and domestically produced * - 30 RM-70/85 . In 2018 unknown quantity RM-70 and BM-21 Grads sold to the Czech Republic and next donated to unknown North African countries (Libya ?) * - 5 * * - 4 RM-70 and 26 RM-70/85 Modular * - 22 RM-70 * - 6 * - Not-specified number donated by Czech Republic in 2022 * * - 60 RM-70

Former operators

* - 12 imported in 2009(reexport, not commissioned in the Bulgarian Army) * - 60 RM-70 (decommissioned as of end of 2011 without replacement) * - Passed on to the Czech Republic and Slovakia after its dissolution * - 265 RM-70 and RM-70M; delivered to Greece after the collapse of East Germany. 36 sold to Finland in 1991. * - Inherited from East Germany, donated to Greece.

References

*
Deagel, RM-70

Ministry of Defence of Czech Republic, Rocket Launcher 122 mm type 70

External links

Diehl BGT Defence RM-70 Modular

{{ModernPOLAFVsNav , style= wide Wheeled self-propelled rocket launchers Multiple rocket launchers of Czechoslovakia Military vehicles introduced in the 1970s