| 9K52 Luna-M | |
|---|---|
9P113 TEL with 9M21 missile |
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| Type | artillery rocket system |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Production history | |
| Variants | 9M21B (nuclear) , 9M21F (HE) and 9M21G (chemical) , Laith-90 |
| Specifications (9M21B) | |
| Weight | 2.5-2.8 short tons |
| Length | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Diameter | 1.8 ft (0.55 m) |
| Crew | 4 |
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| Maximum range | 70 km (43 mi) |
| Warhead | High explosive, chemical, nuclear |
| Warhead weight | 550 kg (1,200 lb) |
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| Guidance system |
ballistic |
| Launch platform |
8 x 8 ZIL-135 missile launcher |
The 9K52 Luna-M (Russian: Луна; English: moon) is a Soviet short-range ballistic missile complex. The 9M21 missiles are unguided and spin-stabilized. "9K52" is its GRAU designation. Its NATO reporting name is FROG-7.
The 9M21 missiles are mounted on a wheeled 9P113 transporter erector launcher (TEL) based on the ZIL-135 8x8 army truck. The TEL features a large hydraulic crane used for reloading missiles from 9T29 transporters (also ZIL-135 based). The 9M21 has a range up to 70 km and a CEP (circular error probable) between 500 m and 700 m. The road mobile rocket has a 550 kg warhead and is capable of delivering high explosive, nuclear, or chemical warheads. The 9M21 was first introduced in 1965 and extensively deployed throughout Soviet satellite states. The rocket has been widely exported and is now in the possession of a large number of countries. After the war with Iran, Iraq modified its stock of 9M21's by extending their range to 90 km and fitting a submunition-carrying warhead. The rocket was renamed Laith-90.[1]
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in the battle of Karbala Gap, the Headquarters of the 2nd Brigade, US 3rd Infantry Division, Tactical Operations Center (TOC) of U.S Col. David Perkins was targeted and struck by an Iraqi FROG-7 or an Ababil-100 SSM variant rocket, killing three soldiers. Another 14 soldiers were injured, and 22 vehicles destroyed or seriously damaged, most of them unarmored Humvees.
RAF jets targeted and destroyed FROG-7 launchers operated by Pro-Gaddafi forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War.[2]
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