Vilkha (, "

Alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

tree") is a Ukrainian heavy

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

that fires guided missiles. Designed by the

Luch Design Bureau Luch Design Bureau (), located in Kyiv, Ukraine, is a major Ukrainian developer of components for the defense industry. The company is in close co-operation with the Artem holding company, also located in Kyiv. Artem is the main manufacturer of ...

, it was based on the

BM-30 Smerch The BM-30 ''Smerch'' (, 'whirlwind'), 9K58 Smerch or 9A52-2 Smerch-M is a heavy Self-propelled artillery, self-propelled 300 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union to fire a full load of 12 solid-fuelled projectiles. The ...

rocket launch system and developed in the 2010s. Vilkha entered service in the Ukrainian armed forces in 2018.

Operational use

The Vilkha was developed in the 2010s, based on the 1980s

. It entered service in 2018 with the Ukrainian Army. It uses two legs to stabilize the truck during firing. It has a crew of four and can fire all twelve missiles in 45 seconds. The claimed truck speed is 100 km/h using a turbocharged diesel YaMZ-7511.10 engine. The rockets that it fires are claimed to have micromotors that boost the range of the rocket and also keep it stable in flight. It has an automatic and manual

fire control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a Director (military), director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs th ...

. Using the existing body of a 9M55 rocket with a range of 70 km and a 250 kg warhead, the upgraded R624 rocket adds a new solid-fuel engine,

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

-aided

inertial guidance An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning ...

, 90 small gas rudders (holes emitting propellant) and aerodynamic vanes that extend during the final approach to achieve a

circular error probable Circular error probable (CEP),Circular Error Probable (CEP), Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Technical Paper 6, Ver 2, July 1987, p. 1 also circular error probability or circle of equal probability, is a measure of a weapon s ...

(CEP) of 10 m. The upgraded Vilkha-M uses the improved R624M rocket, which reduces warhead weight to 170 kg to reach a longer range of 130 km, though with less accuracy of 30 m CEP. Projectiles that extend range even further are in development. The Vilkha has been seen in use with the Ukrainian Ground Forces during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. Ivan Vinnyk, first deputy head of the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries has confirmed on 1 March 2023 that “Yes, the Vilkha has been used in combat,” first used in May 2022. Vilkha-M rockets have a greater range and heavier payload compared to

GMLRS The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS) is an American armored self-propelled multiple launch rocket system. The U.S. Army variant of the M270 is based on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The first M270s were delivered ...

rockets fired by U.S.-supplied

M142 HIMARS The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck fram ...

Specifications

Rocket *Caliber: 300 mm *Maximum range: 70 km Vilkha, 130 km Vilkha-M *Accuracy: CEP 10 m Vilkha, CEP 30 m Vilkha-M *Warhead weight: 250 kg Vilkha, 170 kg Vilkha-M *Guidance: GPS/INS

Operators

* -

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

Gallery

Vilkha missile complex, Kyiv 2018, 49.jpg Vilkha missile complex, Kyiv 2018, 52.jpg Vilkha missile complex, Kyiv, 2018 28.jpg File:Ракета «Вільха».jpg File:Vilkha MLRS final tests 1.jpg

References

External links