Russia Fields New Sarma 300 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher as the Answer to U.S. HIMARS.

Russia has moved the 300 mm Sarma MLRS from prototype to procurement, ordering two divisions (12 launchers, 12 TLVs) on KamAZ-63501 trucks, and buying guided 300 mm rockets to field lighter, more mobile precision fires alongside Tornado-S.

According to information displayed by Militarnyi, on October 30, 2025, Russia shifted its 300 mm Sarma multiple launch rocket system from prototype to procurement, ordering two divisions comprising 12 launchers and 12 transport loading vehicles on the KamAZ 63501 armored 8x8 chassis. Contract data shows unit pricing around 155 million rubles per launcher and 64 million per reload vehicle, underscoring a push to field lighter precision fires alongside Tornado-S.
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Sarma 300 mm MLRS is a six-tube KamAZ-mounted launcher firing guided rockets to ~200 km for rapid, mobile precision strikes (Picture source: Russian TV Channel).

Sarma trims mass and bulk to survive on a battlefield saturated by drones and counterbattery radars. The launcher pack is cut to six 300 mm tubes, married to a new automated fire control and guidance suite, and mounted in an armored cab. Russian coverage emphasized a weight reduction of almost 10 tons compared with the roughly 33-ton Tornado-S, a change that shortens setup time and eases displacement after firing. The concept traces to the 9A52-4 Kama light Smerch launcher shown in 2009, now reimagined with better protection and a fully digital fire chain.

The armament package is the heart of the program. Russian orders linked to Sarma include four corrected or guided rocket families in the 300 mm class: 9M543 high explosive, 9M543L guided, 9M549 cluster, and newer 9M557 and 9M558 rounds whose specifications remain undisclosed. Procurement records indicate the 9M543 and 9M549 at roughly 20 million rubles per round, while the limited 9M557 and 9M558 purchases climb to about 32 and 45 million rubles, suggesting added guidance or seeker complexity. Russian reporters touted a 200 km reach during the Sarma unveiling, which is almost certainly ammunition-dependent and likely refers to those late series rockets.

On accuracy, open sources point to Russia’s ongoing transition from legacy 9M55 family rockets with coarse course correction to newer guided rounds for Tornado-S lineage. Independent technical analysis of the 9M54 series, a sibling to 9M544/9M549, has cited reported CEP in the 7 to 15 meter class, while Janes assesses recent guided rockets at approximately 120 km range with 5 to 10 meter CEP, indicating satellite-aided inertial guidance rather than pure ballistic flight. That level of precision, if replicated in Sarma’s 9M543L/557/558, would meaningfully narrow the gap with Western precision rockets.

There are signs of specialized effects to expand the target set. Militarnyi highlights potential use of Motiv 3M self-homing antitank submunitions, which would give Sarma standoff attacks on dispersed vehicle parks, and describes Russian work on a 300 mm rocket with a passive radar seeker to hunt emitting air defense radars. A parallel project by Splav envisions a 300 mm cruise missile-class munition for Tornado-S, conceptually akin to Russia’s winged glide bombs, pointing to a broader family of launch effects from the same truck.

Sarma’s value is mobility and tempo. A two-vehicle section of launcher plus TLV can shoot, scoot, and rearm with a smaller footprint than Tornado-S batteries, while the automated FCS supports faster sensor-to-shooter cycles and remote or silent watch postures. Russian artillery doctrine is moving toward dispersed, platoon-sized firing elements that can accept mission data digitally, execute a short ripple, and displace before counterbattery or FPV swarms arrive. In that context, halving the tube count on a KamAZ platform is a trade that favors survivability and sustained fires.

Why Russia needs Sarma is straightforward. HIMARS and Ukraine’s ISR-fused targeting forced Russian logistics, headquarters, and air defense nodes deeper and more dispersed. Moscow’s answer is to push precision into divisional rocket artillery so it can strike depots, SAM batteries, and rail transshipment hubs without waiting for scarce aviation or long-range missiles. A lighter launcher that can be produced alongside Tornado-S and tolerate attrition helps Russia sustain deep fires, while an operational test batch of two divisions lets the General Staff validate new munitions and tactics under combat conditions.

The HIMARS comparison clarifies the stakes. The U.S. system fires 227 mm GMLRS to 70 to 84 km in baseline form, with the new ER GMLRS extending precision reach to about 150 km. HIMARS also launches ATACMS ballistic missiles out to roughly 300 km and will transition to the longer-range PrSM family, giving commanders tiered strike options from a common truck. Sarma, in contrast, uses larger 300 mm rockets and is chasing a 200 km class effect with its newest rounds, while much of its wartime inventory has been cluster-heavy and uneven in accuracy. The American ecosystem benefits from mature satellite-aided guidance and a hardened digital kill chain proven in combat, a benchmark Sarma must meet consistently to earn its “Russian HIMARS” label.

The procurement trail and lineage are unusually transparent by Russian standards. After state media in 2023 flagged a high-precision 300 mm MLRS on a KamAZ chassis with a new automated FCS, the first Sarma appeared at Motovilikhinskiye Plants in 2025 with the noted weight drop and six-tube pack, echoing the 2009 Kama light Smerch concept. Militarnyi’s document review shows the Ministry of Defense placed 2024 orders for 12 launchers and 12 TLVs, priced slightly above Tornado-S. For Motovilikhinskie Zavody, which has wrestled with bankruptcy and restructuring in recent years, a simpler KamAZ-based launcher with a civil supply chain offers a realistic path to ramp output.

Sarma is Russia’s bid to mass a lighter precision launcher, pair it with a diversified family of guided 300 mm effects, and rebuild deep fires' credibility against a HIMARS-equipped adversary. If the promised long-range ammunition proves reliable and guidance performance approaches the 5 to 15 meter class cited for Tornado-S guided rockets, Sarma batteries could complicate Ukrainian air defense layout and logistics across the operational rear. If accuracy and production lag, Sarma will remain a fast carrier for old rockets rather than the precision effects truck Moscow wants.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.