The UR-77 Meteorit (Russian: УР-77 «Метеорит», lit. 'Meteorite') is a Soviet mine clearing vehicle, based on a variant of the tracked 2S1 Gvozdika chassis.[4]
| UR-77 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1978-present[1] |
| Used by | Russia Syria Ukraine |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1977[5] |
| Manufacturer | Kharkiv Traktor Plant Soviet Union |
| Produced | 1978 |
| No. built | 550 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 15,500 kg (34,200 lb) |
| Crew | 2[5] |
| Effective firing range | 90 m (300 ft)[5][4] |
Main armament | Mine-clearing line charge |
Description
editThe vehicle is armed with a launcher and two mine-clearing line charges. When launched, a rocket deploys a line charge by extending it out into a line that crosses the minefield. When detonated, the charge causes a shock wave that destroys or disables all the shells or mines in an area along the line charge with a width of 6 metres and length up to 90 metres. Thus a break in the minefield is created.[5][1]
The vehicle has also been used offensively, where its line charge has been used to destroy entire streets in urban combat in Syria[4] and by the Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine.[6][7][8]
Current operators
edit
Similar systems
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "UR-77 Meteorit". WEAPONSYSTEMS.NET. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Боевики ударили "Горынычем" по Марьинке: видео мощнейшего взрыва". Liga.net (in Russian). 9 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
- ^ Tutov, Kuzma; Kuznetsov, Michael (17 December 2016). "Dangerous objects: the base of an army engineering unit of Russian invaders in Donetsk". Inform Napalm. Translated by Kalashnik, Evgeniy. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
- ^ a b c d Beckhusen, Robert (12 October 2014). "Spotted — Al Assad's Brutal Mine-Clearing Tank in Syria". Medium. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d Nekrasov, Mikhail (29 March 2017). "UR-77: Clearing one landmine at a time". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "UR 77 demining system used in urban warfare". Twitter. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Roblin, Sebastien (2022-04-26). "Russia's 'Meteorite' Could Be Putin's Secret Weapon to Kill Ukraine's Cities". 19FortyFive. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
- ^ "Russia Launches Thermobaric Rockets, Ukraine Flings A Line-Charge—And Bakhmut Explodes".