Remember when Ukrainian forces destroyed a weird Russian naval weapon fitted to the hull of armored vehicle?

In August 2024, Ukrainian forces claimed they destroyed something really weird on the frontline and released combat footage on the weapon, which was a Russian naval rocket system fitted to the hull of an armored vehicle.

There have been several examples of the Russian Armed Forces equipping a variety of different armaments atop various armored vehicles to create weapons for use in Ukraine, but the example destroyed in August just might have been one of the weirdest Moscow has ever put together. 

Photo by Twitter @Baterial1

According to combat footage released by the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade from its press service, soldiers of the brigade used drones to destroy a Russian RBU-6000 Smerch-2 naval rocket launcher rigged to the top of an armored vehicle.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Hunini, Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Ukrainian news website Militarnyi reported on the story and noted the hybrid missile launcher was firing on Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv region. Drone operators from the 3rd Assault Brigade found the vehicle and attacked it. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ab3army

Footage released by the 3rd Assault Brigade showed drones flying into the chassis of the vehicle several times before it ultimately caught fire. While the weapon appeared as if it was destroyed in the video, it likely was able to launch its missiles beforehand. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ab3army

“Judging by the absence of detonation, it appears that the vehicle managed to fire its ammunition before burning out after sustaining damage,” Militarnyi wrote in its report on the incident. However, what was carrying the naval missile launcher was unclear. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ab3army

Militarnyi noted the 3rd Assault Brigade’s press service reported the vehicle carrying the RBU-6000 Smerch-2 naval rocket launcher was an MT-LB tracked armored vehicle but the military website pointed out the video may indicate the vehicle was a tank chassis.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

“The six-pillar undercarriage and the emission control system, with gases exhausted to the port side glowing brightly in the thermal imager, unmistakably identify it as a T-72 tank launcher,” Militarnyi noted. But what is the RBU-6000 Smerch-2?

The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 is a naval anti-submarine rocket launcher originally developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union according to the Eurasian Times. It was made to attack enemy torpedoes and submarines with 213mm rockets. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Brian Burnell / George Hutchinson Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The system has a carrying capacity of 12 rockets and it appears from the latest combat footage that the Russians have found a way to make this system workable on land, but the latest encounter wasn’t the first time Ukraine destroyed one of these systems. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Hunini, Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0

According to Militarnyi, the RBU-6000 Smerch-2 uses RGB-60 213 mm rockets that are unguided. They have a range of 5,200 meters (17,000ft) and have the equivalent power of a 122 mm Grad MLRS rocket.

In January 2024, Militarnyi reported Russia had begun installing RBU-6000 Smerch-2 on top of T-80 tank hulls due to a shortage of multiple launch rocket systems. The report was based on video evidence republished by the military blogger Andrii Tarasenko.

Photo Credit: Telegram @btvt2019

Ukrainian forces destroyed two similar systems in the spring of 2024. However, those RBU-6000 Smerch-2 missile launchers were fitted to the Russian Ural-4320 truck. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Druschba 4, Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0

“This Frankenstein monster with a naval rocket launcher was driving through the Bakhmut sector, but after meeting your warm drone, there will be no more,” a report issued by the 93rd Brigade on Telegram along with a video of the systems explained. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ssternenko

The earliest known deployment of an RBU-6000 Smerch-2 to Ukraine may have been in September 2023. The Eurasian Times reported that an MT-LB was fitted with the weapon but noted it was unclear if the weapon had been used on the frontlines. 

Photo Credit: X @ TheDeadDistrict

The appearance of naval weapons re-engineered for land warfare may indicate that the Russians are struggling to deploy the equipment they need in large enough numbers to be effective, but it could mean Moscow is innovating new solutions to modern problems. 

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