Army asks Lockheed Martin to upgrade MLRS field artillery systems with new fire control and launcher loader
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Artillery fire support experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will refurbish M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) field artillery systems for the U.S. Army under terms of a $224 million order announced Friday.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., are asking the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Grand Prairie, Texas, to upgrade existing M270A1 and decommissioned M270A0 MLRS artillery pieces to the new M270A2 configuration.
MLRS is a heavy tracked mobile launcher, transportable via C-17 and C-5 aircraft, that fires guided MLRS rockets and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles.
MLRS also will be able to fire the Army's future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) and Extended-Range GMLRS rockets, which are in development.
The M270A2 is an upgraded variant of the Lockheed Martin M270 MLRS. The A2 version features the Common Fire Control System (CFCS), as well as new engine, transmission, launcher-loader modules, and improved armored cabs.
The CFCS will be common to the Army MLRS and to the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The CFCS will help enable the MLRS to fire the extended-range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) munition, which has a range of nearly 94 miles, and is expected to see future upgrades in sensors, propulsion, and navigation.
The Army ordered the first batch of 50 M270A2 upgrade kits through a $362 million contract in April 2019 with deliveries expected to complete by 2022.
Army leaders say they plan to upgrade 225 existing M270A1 and 160 decommissioned M270A0 rocket launchers this decade, which should extend the life of the MLRS through at least 2050.
On this order Lockheed Martin will do the work in Grand Prairie, Texas; the Red River Army Depot in New Boston, Texas; and Camden, Ark., and should be finished by April 2026. For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
