re: #627 OhCrapIHaveACrushOnSarahPalin

DF, I asked this q a couple days ago, don’t think many ppl saw it, but maybe you know. When it’s said “a Grad rocket” does that mean one launch of the multiple rockets?

The BM-21 was named the ‘Grad’ by the Red Army when it was first adopted in the early 1960’s. The name means “Hail” in Russian, a reference to the hailstorm of rockets fired by the truck mounted launch systems the Soviets used.

Lately, Hamas has been firing the rockets in salvos in order to try to saturate Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. Some of the launch frames now fire 4-6 rockets instead of one. However, due to interference between rockets in flight if they are fired together, BM-21s are fired at half-second intervals. The resultant 2-3 second heat bloom is very visible to heat sensors and allows Israeli drones, gunships, or artillery to respond.