A new version of the 9A52-4 Sarma 300mm MLRS has been showcased by Russian industry at the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody facility in Perm. Displayed before senior officials, the vehicle is based on an 8×8 KamAZ-63501 truck with an armored cabin, equipped with six launch tubes and an updated automated fire-control suite. The system is designed to operate in coordination with reconnaissance and target acquisition assets, providing improved responsiveness and battlefield integration.
According to developers, the Sarma represents a direct continuation of previous KamAZ-mounted launcher projects and illustrates the broader modernization paths of Russia’s long-range rocket artillery. Its design prioritizes modular launch packaging, truck-based mobility, and compatibility with guided rockets. The roots of this approach lie in the Kama project, initiated in the 2000s, when Motovilikhinskiye Zavody explored a lighter and more mobile 300mm launcher. That project produced prototypes with removable transport-launch containers and a fixed six-tube launcher. While Kama achieved engineering breakthroughs in containerization and reload logistics, it never transitioned beyond prototype stage.
Subsequent artillery modernization programs built upon Kama’s foundation. The Tornado-S variant of Smerch, the Uragan-1M bi-caliber experiments, and the Vozrozhdeniye initiative all advanced containerization, satellite navigation, and automated fire control. These efforts proved that modular containers could streamline logistics across calibers, reduce rearming times, and shift heavy firepower capabilities from tracked chassis to wheeled vehicles.
The current Sarma variant brings these strands together, combining mobility innovations first explored under Kama with the precision and modularity developed in Tornado-S and related programs. As a result, it stands as a modernized, truck-mounted 300mm MLRS, capable of providing flexible long-range firepower while easing logistical burdens for Russian artillery forces.
