|
Soviet Union [USSR] Rocket Troops and Artillery
The Rocket Troops and Artillery have been an important combat
arm of the Ground Forces because of the Soviet belief that
firepower has tremendous destructive and psychological effect on
the enemy. In 1989 the Ground Forces had eighteen artillery
divisions, in addition to the artillery and missile units organic
to armies and divisions. Artillery and surface-to-surface missile
brigades were attached to each combined arms or tank army. An
artillery regiment and a surface-to-surface missile battalion were
parts of each Soviet motorized rifle and tank division. In 1989 the
Rocket Troops and Artillery manned 1,400 "operational-tactical"
surface-to-surface missile launchers.
The December 1987 INF Treaty between the United States and the
Soviet Union called for the elimination of all short-range
ballistic missiles with ranges between 500 and 1,000 kilometers.
The treaty required elimination of more than 900 Soviet SS-12 and
SS-23 missile launchers. As of mid-1989, all SS-12 missiles had
been eliminated. All SS-23 missiles had to be eliminated before the
end of 1989, according to the terms of the treaty. After the
reductions mandated in the treaty, the Soviet battlefield missile
inventory will still contain over 800 modern SS-21 missile
launchers with a range of 100 kilometers, as well as older SS-1
launchers and unguided free rocket over ground (FROG) missiles that
were fielded in the 1950s. These tactical missiles can deliver
nuclear or chemical weapons as well as conventional munitions.
In 1989 the Rocket Troops and Artillery had approximately
30,000 artillery pieces; of these, 10,000 were capable of firing
conventional high-explosive, nuclear, or chemical rounds. Since the
1970s, this powerful combat arm has fielded more than 5,000 selfpropelled 122mm and 152mm howitzers, 152mm and 203mm guns, and
240mm mortars. These artillery pieces, which are mounted on tank
chassis, have replaced some towed artillery pieces. The Rocket
Troops and Artillery also had truck-mounted multiple rocket
launchers, each with forty tubes, to provide massive fire support
for the Ground Forces.
Data as of May 1989
|
