Vilkha
Vilkha ("Alder tree") is a Ukrainian heavy multiple rocket launcher that fires guided missiles. Designed by the Luch Design Bureau, it was based on the BM-30 Smerch rocket launch system and developed in the 2010s. Vilkha entered service in the Ukrainian armed forces in 2018.
Also recorded as Vilkha MLRS
Vilkha
VoidWanderer · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Vilkha
- Field
- multiple rocket launcher · self-propelled missile launcher
- Period
- 2016
- Region
- Ukraine
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Vilkha ("Alder tree") is a Ukrainian heavy multiple rocket launcher that fires guided missiles. Designed by the Luch Design Bureau, it was based on the BM-30 Smerch rocket launch system and developed in the 2010s. Vilkha entered service in the Ukrainian armed forces in 2018.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q28706564 · wikipedia · Vilkha
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Vilkha • Origin — Ukraine • Type — Multiple rocket launcher • Is Artillery — yes • Is Vehicle — yes • Service — 2018-present • Used By — Ukrainian Ground Forces • Wars — 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine • Weight — 33 tons • Width — 3.05 m • Caliber — 300 mm • Barrels — 12 • Crew — 4 • Engine — YaMZ-7511.10 turbocharged diesel engine • Suspension — 8×8 wheeled
Operational use
Operational use
The Vilkha was developed in the 2010s, based on the 1980s BM-30 Smerch. It entered service in 2018 with the Ukrainian Army. It uses two legs to stabilize the truck during firing. It has a crew of four and can fire all twelve missiles in 45 seconds. The claimed truck speed is 100 km/h using a turbocharged diesel YaMZ-7511.10 engine. The rockets that it fires are claimed to have micromotors that boost the range of the rocket and also keep it stable in flight. It has an automatic and manual fire control system. Using the existing body of a 9M55 rocket with a range of 70 km and a 250 kg warhead, the upgraded R624 rocket adds a new solid-fuel engine, GPS-aided inertial guidance, 90 small attitude control motors (holes emitting propellant) and aerodynamic vanes that extend during the final approach to achieve a circular error probable (CEP) of 10 m. The upgraded Vilkha-M uses the improved R624M rocket, which reduces warhead weight to 170 kg to reach a longer range of 130 km, though with less accuracy of 30 m CEP. Projectiles that extend range even further are in development. The Vilkha has been seen in use with the Ukrainian Ground Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ivan Vinnyk, first deputy head of the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries has confirmed on 1 March 2023 that “Yes, the Vilkha has been used in combat,” first used in May 2022. Vilkha-M rockets have a greater range and heavier payload compared to GMLRS rockets fired by U.S.-supplied M142 HIMARS.
Specifications
Specifications
Rocket • Caliber: 300 mm • Maximum range: 70 km Vilkha, 130 km Vilkha-M • Accuracy: CEP 10 m Vilkha, CEP 30 m Vilkha-M • Warhead weight: 250 kg Vilkha, 170 kg Vilkha-M • Guidance: GPS/INS
Operators
Operators
• - Ukrainian Ground Forces
Ukrainian tactical missile system Vilkha, rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in Kyiv, 2018
VoidWanderer
Ukrainian tactical missile system Vilkha, rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in Kyiv, 2018
VoidWanderer
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
2016
Vilkha first recorded.
2016
Vilkha is recorded from 2016.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Ukraine
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q28706564: Vilkha
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Vilkha”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Institutional database
- arXiv, Cornell University, preprints naming “Vilkha”
Scholarly · arXiv (Cornell University)
References
Citations
References
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Institutional database
arXiv, Cornell University, preprints naming “Vilkha”arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Connections
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Connections
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Broader subject
1- multiple rocket launcherTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
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Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Vilkha is classified as a multiple rocket launcher or self-propelled missile launcher. Associated with Ukraine. Recorded from 2016. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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