OTR-21 Tochka

OTR-21 Tochka
SS-21 Scarab
Tochka-U missile systems at a Russian rehearsal for a parade in Yekaterinburg
TypeTactical ballistic missile
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1976–present (Scarab A)
1989–present (Scarab B)
Used bySee Operators
WarsYemeni Civil War (1994)
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Syrian Civil War
Russo-Ukrainian War
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Production history
ManufacturerKBM (Kolomna)
Unit cost$300,000 [1]
Produced1973
Specifications
Mass2,000 kg (4,400 lb) Scarab A
2,010 kg (4,430 lb) Scarab B
Length6,400 mm (250 in)
Diameter650 mm (26 in)
Crew3

Maximum firing range70 km (43 mi) Scarab A
120 km (75 mi) Scarab B
WarheadChemical, 100 kt nuclear warhead, EMP, or fragmentation filling

Main
armament
1 × OTR 21/9K79 Tactical Ballistic Missile
EngineSingle-stage solid-propellant rocket
96kN[2]
Maximum speed 1.8 km/s (1.1 mi/s; Mach 5.3)
Guidance
system
Inertial guidance, Tochka-R added passive radar against radar installations
Accuracy150 m (Tochka)
95 m (Tochka-U)
Launch
platform
BAZ-5921 Mobile TEL

OTR-21 Tochka (Russian: оперативно-тактический ракетный комплекс (ОТР) «Точка», romanizedoperativno-takticheskiy raketnyy kompleks (OTR) "Tochka", lit.'Tactical Operational Missile Complex "Point"') is a Soviet tactical ballistic missile. Its GRAU designation is 9K79. Its NATO reporting name is the SS-21 Scarab. One missile is transported per 9P129 vehicle and raised prior to launch. It uses an inertial guidance system.[3][4]

The OTR-21 forward deployment to East Germany began in 1981[citation needed], replacing the earlier Luna-M series of unguided artillery rockets. The system was scheduled to be decommissioned by the Russian Armed Forces in 2020 in favour of the 9K720 Iskander,[5] but they have been observed in use against Ukrainian targets during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6][7]

  1. ^ Landa, Volodymyr; Gnenny, Konstantin. "Over the weekend, Russia launched missiles worth about $200 million over Ukraine., Росія за вихідні випустила по Україні ракет вартістю близько $200 млн" (in Ukrainian). Forbes. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  2. ^ Some important Soviet solid fuel missilesArchived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine & 9M79M (Totchka)
  3. ^ Dullum, Ove (30 June 2010). "The Rocket Artillery Reference Book" (PDF). Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.
  4. ^ "Technikkatalog - Taktische Rakete (TR) 9M79B,F,K". Rocket and Weapons Technical Service, Leipzig. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Artillery units of Russia will replace Tochka-U tactical missile with Iskander-M TASS 12811162 | November 2016 Global Defense Security news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2016 | Archive News year". www.armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  6. ^ Williams, Ian (16 August 2023). Putin's Missile War: Russia's Strike Campaign in Ukraine. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-5381-7067-0.
  7. ^ Alberque, William. "What has the war revealed about Russia's non-strategic missiles?". International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Retrieved 10 September 2023.

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