ICM 1/35 WWII Red Army Rocket Artillery # DS3512

The Katyusha multiple rocket launcher is a sort of rocket artillery developed and deployed by the Soviet Union during WWII.

These multiple rocket launchers deliver explosives to a target area faster than conventional artillery, but with lesser precision and a longer reload time.

They are frail in comparison to artillery guns, but they are inexpensive, simple to manufacture, and can be mounted on any chassis.

The Katyushas of World War II, the Soviet Union's first mass-produced self-propelled artillery, were frequently mounted on regular trucks.

The Katyusha and other self-propelled artillery gained another advantage as a result of their mobility: they could deliver a large blow all at once, then move before being discovered and attacked with counter-battery fire.

The BM-13 launcher, the light BM-8, and the large BM-31 were all Katyusha weapons used throughout WWII.

Today, the moniker is also used to refer to newer truck-mounted post-Soviet – as well as non-Soviet – multiple rocket launchers, most notably the BM-21 Grad and its derivatives.