(SHYROKE) – Ukrainian bomber drones have destroyed a rare Russian BM-30 Smerch multiple launch rocket system and its associated reloader vehicle in the same treeline near Shyroke, in Ukrainian controlled territory about 60 km from the northern side of the Dnipro River.
Footage of the engagement was released by the YouTube channel Suchomimus.
The Smerch was hidden in a hardened shelter within a treeline when a Ukrainian bomber drone attacked it. The drone dropped multiple bombs and grenades on the system until it was completely destroyed, with several bomber drones required to finish the job. On one occasion, a retreating bomber drone was spotted on camera as another flew in to carry out a further attack.
The system took so long to destroy, and required so many drones and bombs, because it was concealed in a hardened shelter. A spotter drone later showed the Smerch burning heavily in the aftermath.
The second target, a T3M9T2342 loader vehicle, was hidden half in a treeline and half in a badly camouflaged shelter that stood out clearly. It was destroyed much more easily, taking just one bomb and leaving it as a burning wreck. Unlike the Smerch, which is assessed as having been empty, the loader vehicle is believed to have been carrying a load of missiles or rockets at the time, given how easily it caught fire.
Russia had 100 Smerch systems in service at the start of the war, with seven destroyed so far, making losses of the system quite rare.
The Smerch is a 300 mm multiple launch rocket system dating from the 1980s. Its rarity reflects its range of 120 km to 200 km depending on the rocket variant, although the 200 km variant is very rarely seen. Given their range, they are difficult targets.
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