Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade Destroys Russian Bomb Launcher in Kharkiv region

The 3rd Assault Brigade used attack drones to destroy a Russian missile launcher based on the RBU-6000 Smerch-2 naval rocket launcher.

The news was made public by the brigade’s press service.

The unmanned systems battalion of the 3rd Brigade detected and destroyed a Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system that was firing at Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv region.

The battalion’s operators struck the vehicle’s chassis twice and hit the launcher. Judging by the absence of detonation, it appears that the vehicle managed to fire its ammunition before burning out after sustaining damage.

In their report, the brigade soldiers mistakenly identified the chassis of the unit as an MT-LB tracked tractor. However, the specific features in the video indicate a tank chassis.

The six-pillar undercarriage and the emission control system, with gases exhausted to the port side glowing brightly in the thermal imager, unmistakably identify it as a T-72 tank launcher.

Ground-based Smerch-2

At the beginning of the year, Militarnyi reported that due to the shortage of classical multiple launch rocket systems, Russians began to install shipboard bombers on tank chassis.

The launcher, weighing 3.5 tons, was then installed instead of the turret of a T-80B tank. However, later analogs based on Ural-4320 trucks were also spotted.

The released footage shows the vehicle firing a 12-tube launcher at ground targets at one of the training grounds.

The MRL uses 213mm rockets with RGB-60 depth charges weighing 113.6 kilograms, of which the explosive is 23.5 kilograms. They are comparable in power to ammunition for 122-mm Grad multiple launch rocket systems.

The RGB-60 is equipped with a UDV-60 fuze. The fuze is activated when the bomb enters the water and ensures that the warhead is detonated upon impact.

Two such MRLs on the chassis of Ural-4320 trucks were destroyed by the Ukrainian military in the spring 2024.