The BM-24 was a Soviet multiple rocket launcher that was designed to replace many of the wartime vehicles that were still in service in the 1950s. Notably among such vehicles, it was available in both a wheeled and a tracked versions, the first of which was based on a ZiS-151 (later ZiL-157) 6 x 6 truck while the latter used the chassis of the AT-S artillery tractor. The BM-24 was equipped with either a 12-round framed or a barrel launcher (on the wheeled and tracked versiosn respectively) capable of firing 240-mm rockets of which there were two types which varied in length, the longer rocket carrying a smaller warhead. Both versions featured armored shutters for the windscreen while the wheeled version added a pair of stabilizers in the rear. The BM-24 was designed to equip tank and motor rifle divisions, with the tracked version being assigned to the former and the wheeled version to the former. It was in service with some Warsaw Pact allies as well as other Soviet client states in the Middle East as well as China, Cuba, and North Korea and saw action in conflicts involving these countries (most notably the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars) although by the 1980s these had been largely withdrawn from Soviet front-line service. A small number are believed to remain in service or storage.
Development of the BM-24 began in 1947, entering service in the early 1950s along with its contemporaries the BM-14 and BMD-20. Its GRAD index was 8U31. The standard designation referred to the original wheeled variant mounted on a ZIL-151 truck, which was later upgraded into the BM-24M on a ZIL-157. The tracked version is known as the BM-24T and is mounted on an AT-S chassis.
Design | BM-24 | BM-24T |
Type | Rocket Launcher | Rocket Launcher |
Year | 1951 | 1956 |
Crew | 6 | 6 |
Dimensions | ||
Length (w/Gun) | 21 ft 12 in | 19 ft 3½ in |
Width | 7 ft 7½ in | 8 ft 5½ in |
Height | 0 ft 0½ in | 0 ft 0½ in |
Ground Clearance | 1 ft 0 in | 1 ft 4 in |
Track | 5 ft 9½ in | 6 ft 3 in |
Track Width | n/a | 17 in |
Track on Ground | 0 ft 0½ in | 10 ft 1 in |
Weight | ||
Combat | 19,136 lbs | 33,598 lbs |
Ground Pressure | 0 psi | 0 psi |
Suspension | Wheeled (6 x 6) | n/a |
Performance | ||
Speed (Off-Road) | 40 mph | 22 mph |
Range (Off-Road) | 267 mi | 236 mi |
Amphibious | No | No |
Fording | 3 ft 9 in | 3 ft 3 in |
Vertical Obstacle | 2 ft 12 in | 2 ft 12 in |
Gradient | 55% | 50% |
Powerplant | ||
Engine | 1 x 109-hp ZiL-157 | 1 x 250-hp V-54-T |
Fuel | Gasoline: 57 gal | Diesel: 111 gal |
Power/Weight | 12.56 hp/t | 16.40 hp/t |
Armament | ||
Main | 12 x 240-mmM-24Rocket Launcher↑ 65° / ↓ 0° / ↔ 140° | 12 x 240-mmM-24Rocket Launcher↑ 65° / ↓ 0° / ↔ 140° |
Secondary | None | None |
Armor | ||
Type | - | - |
Thickness | - | - |
Max Effective | - | - |
Production | ||
Built | n/a | n/a |
Total | 0 |