OTR-21 Tochka-U

A Soviet road-mobile short-range ballistic missile designed for battlefield strikes with conventional, cluster or nuclear payloads at ranges up to 120 km.

Overview

The OTR-21B Tochka-U, known to NATO as the SS-21 Scarab B, is the improved form of the Soviet OTR-21 Tochka tactical ballistic missile. It combines a single-stage solid-propellant missile with an amphibious 6×6 transporter-erector-launcher, giving ground forces a mobile means of attacking airfields, command posts, troop concentrations and other targets beyond artillery range. The Tochka family originally replaced unguided FROG rockets and could deliver both conventional and nuclear warheads, according to the CSIS Missile Threat profile.

Tochka-U extended the original Scarab A's range from 70 km to 120 km and improved stated accuracy from 150 m to 95 m circular error probable. Its combination of mobility, a 482 kg payload and comparatively short launch preparation made it a significant Soviet and post-Soviet battlefield strike system, although its inertial guidance is substantially less precise than that of later tactical missiles.

Russia formally replaced the Tochka with Iskander-M, while Ukraine entered the full-scale war in 2022 with Tochka-U as its only pre-war short-range ballistic missile. Both countries have been accused of operating the type during that conflict. Ukraine's initial inventory remains disputed: published estimates range from about 90 missiles to 500 missiles and 90 launchers, and no authoritative public accounting resolves the difference.

🔒 The full OTR-21 Tochka-U file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →