Russia has unveiled a new version of the 9A52-4 Sarma 300mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) at the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody plant in Perm, in the presence of senior officials. The system is mounted on an 8×8 KamAZ-63501 truck with an armored cab, carrying six 300mm launch tubes and equipped with an automated fire-control suite linked to reconnaissance and target-acquisition systems.
Developers described the system as a continuation of previous KamAZ-based MLRS designs and part of Russia’s broader modernization of long-range rocket artillery. Key features include modular launch packages, guided munitions, and improved truck mobility. The concept traces its roots to the “Kama” project of the 2000s, when Motovilikhinskiye Zavody experimented with road-mobile 300mm launchers using KamAZ-6350 trucks instead of tracked carriers. Prototypes of the Kama system were displayed at events such as MAKS 2007 and tested with both containerized and fixed six-tube launcher configurations, though the program remained experimental.
Later modernization programs—including Tornado-S upgrades of the Smerch, Uragan-1M experiments with bi-caliber containers, and the Vozrozhdeniye initiative—introduced standardized transport-launch containers, satellite guidance, and advanced fire-control systems. These efforts showed the benefits of modular logistics, faster reloading, and the shift of roles from tracked platforms to wheeled trucks. The new Sarma integrates these lessons with Kama-era mobility concepts and Tornado-S-type navigation and guidance technologies.
