Rare footage of Ukrainian Bastion-2 MLRS operation (video)
This MLRS is rarely seen in photos or videos from the battlefield
Footage of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using a multiple launch rocket system called Bastion-2 was published online – the date and place of the shooting was not disclosed.
The appearance of this multiple launch rocket system on video is really rare – one of the cases can be recalled when Bastion-2 was seen on the battlefield in April 2022, and this is the first time this MLRS has been seen since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
And in February 2013, the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade published footage of another version of this MLRS, the Bastion-1.
The Bastion MLRS is actually a modernization of the Soviet BM-21 Grad MLRS based on the KrAZ-6322 chassis. The vehicle was developed in two versions – the basic Bastion-1 and Bastion-2 with an extended wheelbase and, accordingly, an additional ammunition package. The Bastion-2 can also be equipped with two man-portable air defense systems.
Open sources on this MLRS state that the development of the system began in 2008, and a year later the vehicle was demonstrated for the first time. Subsequently, the machines were supplied to the Ukrainian army, however, it is currently unknown how many of these systems are in the Armed Forces, so it is likely that the facts of its use on the battlefield are quite rare.
A special feature of the machine is the automatic reloading system, which allows it to open fire in two minutes after reloading (in the case of manual reloading, this figure is 7 minutes).
