At the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody facility in Perm, Russian engineers showcased a fresh variant of the 9A52-4 Sarma multiple launch rocket system that emphasizes wheeled mobility and modular launch architecture. Built on a protected 8×8 KamAZ-63501 chassis, the prototype mounts a six-tube 300mm launcher and incorporates a modern automated fire-control suite that ingests reconnaissance and target acquisition feeds for rapid engagement. Developers explained that the concept resuscitates and extends the Kama program’s emphasis on road-mobile 300mm launchers developed in the 2000s, bringing forward containerized transport-launch ideas while integrating advancements from later modernization lines such as Tornado-S and Uragan-1M. Those prior programs established the value of standardized containers, satellite-aided guidance, and automated fire-control linkages — capabilities now folded into the Sarma approach to improve rate of fire, reduce rearming times, and broaden operational flexibility. The KamAZ wheeled chassis enables higher strategic and tactical mobility compared with tracked alternatives, allowing units to execute shoot-and-scoot tactics more readily and operate with lighter logistical tails. The six-tube launcher and protected cab strike a balance between reduced vehicle weight and retained firepower, while the automated control chain promises quicker target handoff from ISR platforms to shooters. The public unveiling also demonstrates how Russian industry is pursuing parallel modernization pathways for long-range rocket artillery: combining containerization, guided munitions potential, and networked fire control to field more modular, mobile systems across different formations. In short, the Sarma variant showcases an approach that merges earlier KamAZ-based mobility experiments with lessons from more recent guided rocket programs to produce a flexible, faster-reacting 300mm truck-mounted launcher.
