OTR-21 Tochka

	This article may require Inertial guidance, Tochka-R added passive radar against radar installations
Accuracy	150 m (Tochka) 95 m (Tochka-U)
Launch platform	BAZ-5921 [ru] Mobile TEL

OTR-21 Tochka (

The OTR-21 forward deployment to East Germany began in 1981^{[citation needed]}, replacing the earlier Luna-M series of unguided artillery rockets. The system was scheduled to be decommissioned by the Russian Armed Forces in 2020 in favour of the 9K720 Iskander,^[5] but they have been observed in use against Ukrainian targets during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[6][7]

Description

The OTR-21 is a mobile missile launch system, designed to be deployed along with other land combat units on the battlefield. While the

OTR-21 units are usually managed in a brigade structure.^[where?] There are 18 launchers in a brigade; each launcher is provided with two or three missiles.^[8]

The vehicle is completely

The initial version, Tochka (NATO reporting name Scarab A) entered service with the Soviet Army in 1975.^[8] It carried one of four types of warhead:

• 9M123F unitary
  High explosive warhead. Weight 420 kilograms (930 lb).^[8]
• 9M123K submunitions warhead. Anti-personnel, anti-armour and anti-runway submunitions available.[8]
• 9M79B nuclear. Selectable yield of 10 or 100 kT.^[8]
• 9N123R EMP warhead.^[8]

The minimum range was about 15 km (9.3 mi), maximum range was 70 km (43 mi); its circular error probable (CEP) is estimated to be about 150 m (490 ft).^[8]

Tochka-U

The improved Tochka-U (NATO reporting name Scarab B) passed state tests from 1986 to 1988 and was introduced in 1989.

A new motor propellant increased the range to 120 km (75 mi). CEP significantly improved, to 95 m (312 ft).^[10] Six warhead options have been reported, a unitary high explosive warhead, an anti-personnel submunition dispenser, an anti-radar warhead, an EMP warhead and two nuclear warheads.^[11]

Scarab C

An unconfirmed^[9] third variant, designated Scarab C by NATO, may have been developed in the 1990s, but was likely never operational.^[9] Again, range increased to 185 km (115 mi), and CEP decreased to less than 70 m (229 ft). Scarab C weighed 1,800 kg (4,000 lb).

Configuration

• 9M79 missiles with various types of warheads (-9M79-1 for Tochka U Complex).
• Launcher 9P129 or 9P129-1M (SPU);
• Transport and loading machine 9T218 or 9T128-1 (TZM);
• Transport vehicle 9T222 or 9T238 (TM);
• Automatic testing machine 9V819 or 9V819-1 (AKIM);
• Technical service vehicle 9V844 or 9V844M (MTO).
• Set of weapon equipment 9F370-1 (KAO);

Educational means:^{[citation needed]}

• Simulator 9F625M;
• Missile overall weight model (such as 9M79K-GVM).
• 9M79-UT training missile and 9N123F (K) -UT, 9N39-UT warhead. 9H123F-R UT;
• 9M79-RM missile and 9N123K-RM missile split training model.

Operational history

• During the
  1994 Yemen civil war, the Yemeni government used Tochka missiles against southern forces.^[12]
• In 1999, Russia used the missiles in the Second Chechen War.^[13]
• At least 15 Tochka missiles were deployed by Russian forces from 8 to 11 August 2008 during the
  2008 South Ossetia war.^[14]
• Russian-backed separatist forces. The Ukrainian army issued a statement denying the use of the ballistic missile.^[15][16]

• In early December 2014, the
  Idlib province) .^[17]
• On 26 April 2016, the Syrian Army fired a Tochka at
  Syrian rebels in the Syrian Civil Defense Center in west Aleppo^[18]
• On 14 June 2016, the Syrian Army fired a Tochka at Syrian rebel groups
  Eastern Ghouta, killing several fighters.^[19]
• On 20 March 2018, the Syrian Army fired a Tochka towards the Turkish
  Hatay province, which fell in the border district of Yayladağı without causing any casualties or damage.^[20][21]
• On 23 July 2018, the Syrian Army fired two Tochka missiles near the Israeli border. Initially thought to be inbound to Israel near the Sea of Galilee, two David's Sling interceptors were fired by Israel. A few moments later it became clear they were going to strike within Syria, as such one interceptor was detonated over Israel while the other one fell inside Syria.^[22] One Tochka missile landed 1 kilometer inside Syria.^[23]
• On 5 March 2021, the Syrian Army reportedly fired a KN-02 Toksa, a North Korean copy, solid fuelled short ranged missile against a major oil facility in the country’s Idlib governorate, which is currently under the control of Turkish-backed insurgents.^[24][25] The strike near oil facilities ignited major blazes and killed one and wounded 11 people.^[25]

Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

• On 4 September 2015,
  fired a Tochka missile at Safir base in Marib killing over 100 Saudi-led coalition personnel.^[26][27][28]
• On 14 December 2015, Houthi forces
  Bab Al Mandab base killing over 150 Saudi-led coalition personnel stationed there.^[29][30][31]
• On 16 January 2016, Houthi forces fired a Tochka at Al Bairaq base in Marib killing dozens of Saudi-led coalition personnel ^[32][33]
• On 31 January 2016, Houthi forces
  Lahj killing and wounding over 200 Saudi-led coalition personnel^[34][35][36]

• Azerbaijan claimed Armenia fired Tochka-U rockets at its territory during the
  2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia denied this, stating that Azerbaijan is making "disinformation to justify the use of a similar system or a system of a higher caliber."^[37]

• On 24 February 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a
  Su-30SM destroyed on the ground.^[39]
• On 24 February 2022, a 9M79 Tochka missile fired by Russian forces struck near a hospital building in Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, killing 4 civilians and wounding 10. An Amnesty International investigation confirmed that the hospital was not a military target.^[40]
• On 14 March 2022, the Russian Federation and the government of the separatist Donetsk People Republic blamed Ukrainian forces of
  launching a Tochka-U missile which killed 23 civilians and wounded 28 in Donetsk.^[41] The housing facility was supposedly used as a barracks for separatists forces.^[42]
• On 19 March 2022, Russian forces claimed that they shot down a Ukrainian-fired missile near the Port of Berdiansk.^[42]
• On 24 March 2022, the Russian Navy landing ship Saratov, docked in Berdyansk port in Ukraine, caught fire and sunk.^[43] On 3 July, a Russian official confirmed the sinking of the Saratov, a Soviet era Tapir-class landing ship. The ship was hit by a Tochka-U missile. Russia claims that the ship was scuttled by its crew to prevent its munitions from exploding and that the ship has been salvaged since.^[44]
• On 8 April 2022, the railway station in Kramatorsk under Ukrainian control was hit by two Russian Tochka-U ballistic missiles. The attack killed at least 52 civilians and injured at least 87 more. Later, Russia falsely blamed Ukraine for the strike.^[45] The message in Russian "Za detei", meaning on behalf of the children, had been daubed on the missile in white.^[46][47][48]
• On 16 June 2022, a Russian ammunition warehouse in the occupied Ukrainian city of Khrustalnyi was report to have been hit by a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile.^{[49][self-published source?]}
• On 13 January 2023, Ukraine claims to have killed over 100 Russian soldiers in the Soledar area using various special forces, artillery and a
  Tochka-U missile.^[50]

Current operators

 Armenia

3+^[52]

 Azerbaijan

4^[53]

 Belarus

36^[54] (operated by 465th Missile Brigade)^[55]

 Bulgaria

18^[56]

 Kazakhstan

12^[57]

 North Korea

Unknown numbers of KN-02 Toksa variant.

 Russia

In 2010, the

Russian Army had more than 200 surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs) of various types in service; these included the Tochka^[58] which had undergone a modernization program in 2004 with the installation of a new automatic control system.^[59] As of 2019, Russia possessed 24 launchers.^[60] Russian missile systems have been upgraded since 2004 (replacing the onboard automated control systems)^[61][62] and were scheduled to be replaced by the 9K720 Iskander missiles.^[63][64] It was reported that in late 2019, the 448th Rocket Brigade, last rocket brigade operating the Tochka ballistic missiles was rearmed with the 9K720 Iskander missiles, marking the end of operation of the type with the Russian Armed Forces. However, some systems are expected to remain in use at the Kapustin Yar missile test range.^[65][66][67] Despite these claims, Russian news reports and social media footage show Russian army still displaying Tochkas at public events in 2021, including at Victory Day parade in Krasnodar.^[68]

 Ukraine

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, as of April 2022, Ukraine possessed 38–90 Tochka missile launchers and several hundred missiles.[67] The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) states that Ukraine had 500 Tochka-U missiles in its arsenal in 2022.^[69]

 Syria

Inherited unknown numbers of KN-02 Toksa variant from North Korea.^[24] In February 2017, according to a Fox news report, US officials claimed Russia has also supplied 50 Tochka-U missiles to Syria.^[70] Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russia has no such information, and the Russian Ministry of Defense denied it.^[71]

 Yemen

Inherited from

ongoing civil war.^[73]

 Czechoslovakia

Passed on to successor states.

 Czech Republic

Inherited from Czechoslovakia, retired.

 East Germany

Passed on to Germany.

 Germany

Retired; was never operational.

 North Yemen

Ordered 12 launchers and around 100 missiles. Declared operational in 1988.[74] They were used during the 1994 civil war,^[75] and were passed on to unified Yemen after.^[76]

 Poland

4^[77] retired in 2005, because of lack of rockets and service parts.

 Slovakia

Inherited a small number from Czechoslovakia, all retired.

 Soviet Union

Passed on to successor states.

See also

• MGM-52 Lance – 1970s short-range ballistic missile of American origin
• 9K720 Iskander – Russian short-range ballistic missile
• P-12 – Chinese short-ranged ballistic missile also used by Turkey
• Prahaar (missile) – Indian tactical ballistic missile
• LORA (missile) – Israeli theater quasi-ballistic missile
• MGM-140 ATACMS – American tactical ballistic missile

References

• Lennox, Duncan, ed. (2003). Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems (38 ed.). Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group.
  ISBN 0-71060880-2
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to OTR-21 Tochka.

• CSIS Missile Threat SS-21
• CSIS Missile Defense Project - The Missile War in Yemen
• SS-21 Scarab article on Warfare.ru
• Tochka-U Video
• SS-21 Scarab (9K79 Tochka) Archived 28 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• (in Russian) OTR Tochka Archived 21 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine