The armament portion of the 9A52-4 vehicle is adaptable to the battlefield need. The launcher is capable of supporting launch tubes of 122mm, 220mm or 300mm in caliber though the larger the rocket used, the lower the total number of rockets launched. 15 x 122mm rockets can be carried compared to 8 x 220mm types or 6 x 300mm types. The maximum engagement range of the launcher unit is approximately 90 kilometers when using the base rocket. A complete salvo can be cleared in under 10 seconds, allowing the vehicle to retreat, reload and reposition for a second assault. A full line of such vehicles can have a devastating physical and psychological effect on the enemy. The Tornado system allows for complete Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) engagement and rockets can carry a variety of in-circulation warhead types including High-Explosive, FRAGmentation (HE-FRAG), anti-personnel, anti-armor "minelets", cluster munitions, thermobaric and incendiary. The crew is aided by several onboard systems which provide the necessary accuracy/precision at range including an all-digital Fire Control System (FCS).
To date, the Tornado series - having originated with the Tornado-G (upgrading the BM-21 "Grad" line), has seen an additional variant form emerge as the "Tornado-S", this version promising improved engagement ranges and precision thanks to use of a GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System). The Tornado-S is a BM-30 "Smerch" upgrade and already in use with the Indian Army. The Tornado-U is an upgrade to the BM-27 "Uragan" line of MLRSs.
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