| Country: |
United States of America |
| Associated Country: |
France, Germany, Italy, UK |
| Alternate Name: |
M30/M31 |
| Class: |
BSRBM |
| Basing: |
Road mobile |
| Length: |
3.94 m |
| Diameter: |
0.23 m |
| Launch Weight: |
296 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead |
| Warhead: |
HE submunitions, HE unitary |
| Propulsion: |
Single-stage solid |
| Range: |
70 km |
| Status: |
Operational |
| In Service: |
2003 |
Details
The Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) is a battlefield short-range, road mobile, solid propellant artillery rocket. Originally an Extended-Range (ER)-MLRS, the addition of a guidance system results in what is essentially a ballistic missile. This system was developed jointly between the United States and a consortium of European states.(1)
The GMLRS is a tactical asset designed for deployment on the battlefield. It is launched from mobile launch vehicles which carrying multiple missiles. The system can engage moving ground targets with high explosive (HE) grenades designed for use against both personnel and vehicles, or support facilities with a single unitary warhead. The single warhead can be used to destroy important facilities such as surface-to-air missile sites, airfields or communication centers, though its payload is insufficient to do much damage to population centers or factories. The mobile launch system enables the GMLRS to keep pace with moving military formations and attack multiple targets from a single vehicle.
The GMLRS has a range of over 70 km (43 miles) and is deployed in launch batteries of six and twelve. It can be equipped with 404 dual-purpose grenade high HE submunitions (M30) or a 90 kg unitary HE warhead (M31). It uses an inertial guidance system coupled with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. Though the accuracy of the weapon is not widely disclosed, one source suggests that it is around 10 m CEP with a possible upgrade to 5 m CEP.(2) The missile has a length of 3.94 m, a body diameter of 0.227 m and a launch weight of 296 kg. The missile uses a single-stage solid propellant engine and is typically carried in sets of 6 or 12.
The ER-MLRS was the basis for the GMLRS design and entered production in 1996, with in-service deliveries starting in 1998. A smart submunition program was terminated in October 1999, while the development of the GMLRS was approved for a joint program involving France, Germany, Italy, UK and USA in 1998. Initial production began in 2003 with a lot of 820 missiles. Production numbers stayed below 1000 per year through 2005, though the US Army is expected to order 80,000 for delivery by 2012. Production is expected to continue through 2020. The UK tested the first export missiles and the missiles entered UK service in 2007. The United Arab Emirates reportedly ordered 260 missiles in 2006.
The first missiles to enter the field were delivered to the US Army in Iraq in 2005. Over 150 were fired over Iraq before January 2009. Reports suggest that they have been used in Afghanistan as well.
A Lockheed Martin proposal in 1999 was made for a Precision Over-the-Horizon Land Attack Rocket (POLAR) which would increase GMLRS range to 200 km (124 miles) by using a longer solid-propellant motor.
Of the two warhead types currently in operation, the unitary (M31) is greatly favored in production numbers. About 80% of the GMLRS produced by 2012 are expected to be of the M31 design. A Phase 2 missile is expected to increase range and maneuverability by allowing for a planned trajectory and the option of a vertical dive on the target. Other possible developments include a penetrator rod warhead, which would replace the M30 version, and a thermobaric warhead.
Footnotes
1.
Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems, Issue 50, (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2009), 195-196.
2. “M30 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS),” Federation of American Scientists: Military Analysis Network, available at
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/mlrs-g.htm, accessed on 28 July 2010.
Army Tests MLRS
September 5, 2004 :: Middle East Newsline :: News
The U.S. Army has again successfully tested the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (Guided MLRS), at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The test was said to be to improve accuracy. Versions of the system are said to have been sold to Bahrain, Egypt, Greece, Israel, and South Korea. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Guided MLRS
Guided MLRS Rockets Successfully Tested
July 13, 2004 :: Lockheed Martin :: News
Lockheed Martin reports the second successful flight test of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rocket at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., taking place on June 30.
The GMLRS rocket has a high explosive warhead of 180 pounds, and a range of about 70 kilometers. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Guided MLRS
