The Russian army begins to actively use the Tornado-S MLRS. The 9K515 Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system is a modernized version of the Smerch MLRS and began to be delivered to the troops in 2016. MLRS "Tornado" is considered one of the best in the world and surpasses foreign counterparts in many respects. The firing accuracy of the Tornado-S MLRS is 15-20 times higher than that of the Smerch MLRS. Unlike the Smerch MLRS, the Tornado-S MLRS rockets are corrected by Glonass not only at the initial stage of the flight, but also at the final one. The 9A54 combat vehicle is made on the basis of a modified chassis of the MAZ-543M truck. A full salvo of the Tornado-S MLRS is the second in terms of strike power after nuclear weapons, the system ensures the delivery of several tons of explosive to the target. Twelve 300 mm rockets hit objects at ranges up to 120 km and can be individually aimed at each target. Two new types of missiles are used, 9M549 with a cassette for fragmentation elements and 9M544 with cumulative fragmentation elements, it is also possible to use missiles from older versions of the Smerch MLRS. To correct for Glonass, only the tail part of the rocket rotates in flight. It was reported that shells with a range of up to 200 km were being developed for Tornado-S, but exact data on them could not be found. After the upgrade, the MLRS has the ability to control fire using an electronic map and link to satellite navigation data. It is now unnecessary for a crew of 3 to get out of the vehicle to target the guide missile unit. The transfer time of the MLRS 9K515 from traveling to combat position is 3 minutes, the duration of a full salvo is 40 seconds.
