Rostec’s industrial director for the weapons, ammunition and special chemicals cluster, Bekhan Ozdoev, said the new Sarma multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), which will be presented for the first time at the World Defense Show in the capital of Saudi Arabia, is equipped with a modern automated fire control system. According to him, this makes it possible to use the system faster and more effectively in different combat conditions and integrate it with a wide range of reconnaissance and combat systems.

Ozdoev also said Sarma uses the newest guided rockets, which, according to him, have proven their effectiveness in the Ukraine conflict. He stressed that the system can fire at preset coordinates from unprepared positions when deploying directly from the march, and that its munitions remain accurate even under heavy electronic warfare pressure. He added that Sarma combat vehicles can coordinate their actions, delivering group strikes with targets distributed between launchers.

Rostec said Sarma continues the heavy MLRS line of Smerch and Tornado-S. Like those systems, it has a 300-mm caliber, but a smaller number of launch tubes — six instead of 12. This significantly reduces the overall weight of the vehicle and increases its mobility and cross-country capability.

According to Ozdoev, Sarma in combination with Tornado-S will provide greater flexibility for rocket artillery and increase the effectiveness of striking the most protected targets with minimal ammunition expenditure.

He added that a batch of these vehicles has already been delivered to the Russian Armed Forces and is undergoing comprehensive testing in the Ukraine conflict zone.