The BM-14 was one of the first Soviet multiple rocket launchers developed in the immediate post-war period, which intended to replace the highly successful 'Katyusha' series of vehicles that formed the backbone of the Red Army's formidable rocket force. The BM-14 was the smaller caliber version of its contemporary, the BM-24, and was equipped with 140-mm spin-stabilized rockets which are compatible with similar-caliber MRLs in service with the USSR's allies. They had a maximum range of 9.5 kms and aside from standard high-explosive versions could also use chemical warheads. Two versions of the BM-14 were built. The first featured a 16-round launcher on a 6 x 6 ZiS-151 truck (the same used on the BM-24). The other featured a 17-round launcher mounted on a 4 x 4 GAZ-63A truck; newer trucks were eventually adopted for both launcher types. Both versions were fitted with armored shutters for the windscreen in addition to a pair of stabilizers in the rear. A towed version was also designed for use for airborne troops. Although the BM-14 was an improvement over their wartime predecessors, it was still a relatively simple vehicle whose main advantage was its availability in large numbers at a time when most Western armies (including the US) had largely abandoned rocket artillery. It was gradually replaced by the BM-21 in Soviet service from the 1960s onward but was widely exported and saw combat in Afghanistan as well as numerous wars in the Middle East and Asia, most recently in the Syrian Civil War, where some were suspected of launching chemical munitions.

Development of the BM-14 began in 1947, concurrently with the larger-caliber BMD-20 and BM-24. The original 16-round BM-14-16 version (GRAU index 8U32) was mounted on a ZIS-151 truck, later a ZIL-157 in the BM-14-16M and a ZIL-131 in the BM-14-16MM. The 17-round BM-14-17 version (GRAU index 8U35) was mounted on a GAZ-63A, and later on a GAZ-66 in the BM-14-17M. A towed version for use by airborne troops was known as the RPU-14.