In the southern regions of Russia, hail is becoming a serious threat to agricultural land, destroying up to 15% of the harvest annually. In response to this challenge, Rostec has an innovative solution - the "Alazan" rocket. The development was discussed during the agricultural day at the "Russia" forum. The hail storm fighter is being developed at the Chapaev plant - the only enterprise in the country specializing in the production of such rockets.
The "Alazan" is supposed to fight hail at the stage of formation of hail clouds. When a cloud falls within the radius of such a system, specialists launch rockets, which, upon reaching the target, release an active reagent. The substance in these rockets prevents the formation of hailstones, while not harming the environment. The protection zone covers up to 10,000 hectares or 100 km², for comparison, the area of Paris is 105 km². "Alazan" rockets are capable of hitting hail-hazardous clouds at a distance of up to 10 kilometers and at altitudes of more than 8 kilometers.
The use of "Alazan" has shown high efficiency, reducing losses from hail by five times. Today, this technology protects vineyards in the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, North Caucasus Federal District and the Republic of Crimea. In 2023, more than 8,000 "Alazan" rockets were delivered there.
Last year, a modernized version of the rocket - "Alazan-8M" was first presented at the "Army-2023" forum. It was noted that it has no analogues either at home or abroad. "Alazan-8M" differs from its predecessor, "Alazan-6", in an improved body design, smaller diameter and a new ice-forming composition with a reduced silver content.