OVERVIEW: The 240mm HE Rocket is an unguided, fin-stabilized artillery rocket designed for use with heavy multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in wide-area bombardment roles. It delivers a high-explosive warhead for destruction of enemy personnel, fortifications, and lightly armored targets over extended ranges.

DETAILS: The 240mm HE Rocket is a large-caliber artillery rocket typically fired from tracked or towed launchers with limited reload capability. It uses solid-propellant motors and fin stabilization, offering a firing range of approximately 30 to 45 km depending on the model. Warheads generally weigh between 90 to 100 kg and contain high-explosive fragmentation charges for area saturation. These rockets are designed for indirect fire and provide high-lethality effects across a wide radius, making them suitable for pre-emptive strikes, defensive barrages, or counterbattery fire.

These rockets are loaded manually into launcher rails or pods, aimed via vehicle-mounted or remote fire-control systems, and launched in ripple or full-salvo modes. They are primarily used to disrupt enemy staging areas, command posts, or defensive lines before mechanized assaults or to retaliate against artillery concentrations.

NOTE:
IOC: 1970s
Operators: North Korea, UAE, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam
Platforms: KN-09, 240mm MRL (M1985, M1991), Type-63/Type-89 (localized versions), Syrian 240mm MRL
Conflict used in: Syrian Civil War (2011–), North Korean artillery drills (2000s–2020s)

SOURCE:
U.S. Air Force Armament Museum: https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil ; Jane’s Weapons: Air-Launched ; Department of Defense: https://www.defense.gov, Historical Munition Fact Sheets ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://fas.org ; U.S. Navy Weapon Systems Explosive Ordnance Disposal publication: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/What-We-Do/Undersea-Warfare-Systems/Weapon-Systems/