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The Russian military has destroyed a BM-30 Smerch heavy multiple rocket launcher (MRL) of Kiev forces with a precision-guided Krasnopol artillery round.
On May 18, Russian sources released footage of the artillery strike that destroyed a warehouse near the town of Drobyshevo in the Donbass region where the Smerch MRL was hidden.
The Krasnopol, which was used to destroy the launcher, can be fired by most 152 mm artillery guns. The artillery round, which is guided by semi-active laser, has a range of 20 to 30 kilometers.
The pinpoint strike was coordinated with a drone, which was likely used to locate the launcher and designate the warehouse where it was hidden for the artillery.
The Soviet-made Uragan 300 mm MRL can fire high explosive fragmentation, cluster or mine laying rockets. The MRL has an effective firing range of 70 to 90 kilometers. Around 80 Smerch MRLs were reportedly in service with Kiev forces before the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. Since the start of the operation, many launchers were damaged or destroyed by the Russian military.
The Russian military has been using Krasnopol rounds to target high-value equipment, such as air-defense systems, heavy rocket launchers and fortified positions, of Kiev forces since the beginning of its operation in Ukraine nearly four months ago.
Guided indirect fire weapons like the Krasnopol enable the Russian military to hit targets with high precisions from a safe distance on short notice.
