Америкалық өзі жүретін артиллериялық жүйелердің даму тарихы

American armored self propelled artillery

In the early 1970s, the Soviet Union had a clear advantage over U. S. and NATO forces in terms of rocket artillery. Soviet doctrine dictated large scale bombardment of a target area with large numbers of truck mounted multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), such as the BM 21 "Grad". By contrast, U. S. artillerists favored conventional large caliber artillery for its relative accuracy and logistical efficiency. As a result, U. S. rocket artillery was limited to the remaining stock of World War II era systems. This mindset began to change following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which saw heavy casualties, especially from rear area weapons like surface to air missiles (SAMs). Israel effectively employed rocket artillery against these targets. The United States predicted that this requirement would persist in the event of a war in Europe. Thus, the need had arisen for a system that could engage enemy air defenses and provide counter battery fire, freeing large caliber artillery units to provide call for fire artillery support for ground forces. In September 1977, Boeing Aerospace and Vought were awarded contracts to develop prototypes of the GSRS. In 1978, the U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Command made changes to the program so that the GSRS could be manufactured in Europe. Both competitors delivered three MLRS prototypes to the Army.

The M270 MLRS weapons system is collectively known as the M270 MLRS Self Propelled Loader/Launcher (SPLL). The SPLL is composed of three primary subsystems, namely the M269 Loader Launcher Module (LLM), which also houses the electronic Fire Control System, is mated to the M993 Carrier Vehicle. The M993 is the designation of the M987 carrier when it is used in the MLRS. The M987/M993 is a lengthened derivative of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle chassis. The ground contact length is increased from to Originally called the Fighting Vehicle System, the M987 chassis was designed to serve as the basis for many other vehicles. These included the XM1070 Electronic Fighting Vehicle, the M4 Command and Control Vehicle, the Armored Treatment and Transport Vehicle and the Forward Area Armored Logistics System, the latter encompassing three vehicles, including the XM1007 AFARV rearm vehicle. Production of the M270 ended in 2003, when a last batch was delivered to the Egyptian Army. In 2003, the U. S. Army began low rate production of the M142 HIMARS. The HIMARS fires all of the munitions of the MLRS, but is based on the chassis of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. As of 2012, BAE Systems still had the capability to restart production of the MLRS. Lockheed Martin also received a contract to convert existing M30 Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) GMLRS rockets to the XM31 unitary variant. The M31 GMLRS Unitary rocket transformed the M270 into a point target artillery system for the first time. Due to Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance and a single high explosive warhead, the M31 could hit targets accurately with less chance of collateral damage while needing fewer rockets to be fired, reducing logistical requirements. The unitary warhead also made the MLRS able to be used in urban environments. The M31 had a dual mode fuse with point detonation and delay options to defeat soft targets and lightly fortified bunkers respectively, with the upgraded M31A1 equipped with a multi mode fuse adding a proximity airburst mode for use against personnel in the open; proximity mode can be set for Height of Burst (HOB). The GMLRS has a minimum engagement range of and can hit a target out to , impacting at a speed of Mach 2.5. In 2009 Lockheed Martin announced that a GMLRS had been successfully test fired out to
In April 2011, the first modernized MLRS II and M31 GMLRS rocket were handed over to the German Army's Artillery School in Idar Oberstein. The German Army operates the M31 rocket up to a range of A German developmental artillery system, called the Artillery Gun Module, has used the MLRS chassis on its developmental vehicles. In 2012, a contract was issued to improve the armor of the M270s and improve the fire control to the standards of the M142 HIMARS. In June 2015, the M270A1 conducted tests of firing rockets after upgrades from the Improved Armored Cab project, which provides the vehicle with an enhanced armored cab and windows. In early March 2021, Lockheed announced they had successfully fired an extended range version of the GMLRS out to , part of an effort to increase the rocket's range to Later in March the ER GMLRS was fired out to In September 2023, Lockheed announced an ER GMLRS test achieved its maximum range of .

When first deployed with the U. S. Army, the MLRS was used in a composite battalion consisting of two batteries of traditional artillery (howitzers) and one battery of MLRS SPLLs (self propelled loader/launchers). The first operational Battery was C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division (Ft. Riley, Kansas) in 1982. The first operational organic or "all MLRS" unit was 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery. Originally, a battery consisted of three platoons with three launchers each for nine launchers per battery; by 1987, 25 MLRS batteries were in service. In the 1990s, a battery was reduced to six launchers. The U. S. deployed over 230 MLRS during Operation Desert Storm, and the UK an additional 16. In September 1990, the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. Assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, the unit played a critical role in the early defense of Saudi Arabia. As Desert Shield turned into Desert Storm, the Battalion was the first U. S. Field Artillery unit to fire into Iraq. Over the course of the war, the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery provided timely and accurate rocket and missile fires for both U. S. corps in the theater, the 82nd Airborne Division, the 6th French Light Armored Division, the 1st Armored, 1st Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). A Battery 92nd Field Artillery (MLRS) was deployed to the Gulf War in 1990 from Ft. Hood Texas. 3/27th FA (MLRS) out of Fort Bragg deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield in August 1990. A/21st Field Artillery (MLRS) – 1st Cavalry Division Artillery deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield in September 1990. In December 1990, A 40th Field Artillery (MLRS) – 3rd Armored Division Artillery (Hanau), 1/27th FA (MLRS) part of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade (Babenhausen) and 4/27th FA (MLRS) (Wertheim) deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield from their bases in Germany and 1/158th Field Artillery from the Oklahoma Army National Guard deployed in January 1991. MLRS launchers were deployed during Operation Desert Storm. Its first use was on 18 January 1991, when Battery A of the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery fired eight ATACMS missiles at Iraqi SAM sites. In one engagement, three MLRS batteries fired 287 rockets at 24 separate targets in less than five minutes, an amount that would have taken a cannon battalion over an hour to fire. firing 312 rockets in a single mission. When ground operations began on 24 February 1991, 414 rockets were fired as the U. S. VII Corps advanced. Out of the 57,000 artillery rounds fired by the end of the war, 6,000 were MLRS rockets plus 32 ATACMS.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States considered sending the MLRS as part of military aid to Ukraine. Concerns were raised that this system could be used to hit targets inside Russia. US President Joe Biden initially declined to send it to Ukraine, but on May 31 he announced that the M142 HIMARS, another vehicle capable of firing GMLRS rockets, would be supplied. On 7 June 2022, British defence secretary Ben Wallace announced that the UK would send three (later increased to six) MLRS to aid Ukrainian forces. On 15 June, Germany announced it would send three of its MARS vehicles from German Army stocks. Ukraine announced they had received the first M270s on 15 July. The German defence secretary Christine Lambrecht announced the arrival of the vehicles they contributed on 26 July 2022, and on 15 September Lambrecht announced that Germany would transfer two more. During the Russo Ukrainian War, Russian forces have relied on electronic warfare to jam GPS signals. The inertial navigation system is immune to jamming, but less accurate than when paired with GPS coordinates and can miss the target.

M270 is the original version, which carries a weapon load of 12 rockets in two six pack pods. This armored, tracked mobile launcher uses a stretched Bradley chassis and has a high cross country capability. M270A1 was the result of a 2005 upgrade program for the U. S. Army, and later on for several other states. The launcher appears identical to M270, but incorporates the Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) and an improved launcher mechanical system (ILMS). This allows for significantly faster launch procedures and the firing of GMLRS rockets with GPS aided guidance. The US Army updated 225 M270 to this standard. When Bahrain ordered an upgrade of nine to "A1 minimum configuration" in 2022, it was stated to include CFCS. M270B1 British Army variant of the M270A1, which includes an enhanced armor package to give the crew better protection against IED attacks. Following an agreement struck with the United States Department of Defense, the British Army will be embarking on a five year programme to update the M270B1 to the M270A2 standard. They are developing some UK specific systems, including Composite Rubber Tracks (CRT), and a vehicle camera and radar system. Upgrade of the first tranche of launchers started in March 2022, with the fleet going through production over a four year period. A new Fire Control System will be developed collaboratively with the US, the UK, Italy, and Finland. M270C1 was an upgrade proposal from Lockheed Martin involving the M142's Universal Fire Control System (UFCS) instead of IFCS. M270D1 Finnish Army variant of the M270A1 that uses the M142's Universal Fire Control System (UFCS). MARS II / LRU / MLRS I is a European variant of the M270A1 involving Germany, France, and Italy. Mittleres Artillerieraketensystem (MARS II) The launchers are equipped with the European Fire Control System (EFCS) designed by Airbus Defence and Space. The EFCS disables the firing of submunitions carrying rockets to ensure full compliance with the Convention on Cluster Munitions. M270A2 is a 2019 upgrade program to the US Army variant, which includes the new Common Fire Control System (CFCS) to allow the use of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). The update also includes a new 600 hp engine, upgraded and rebuilt transmission, and improved cabin armor protection. The U. S. Army will eventually upgrade its entire fleet of 225 M270A1 and an additional 160 decommissioned M270A0 launchers.

The M270 system can fire MLRS Family of Munitions (MFOM) rockets and artillery missiles, which are manufactured and used by a number of platforms and countries. These include:

M26 and M28 rocket production began in 1980. Until 2005 they were the only rockets available for the M270 system. When production of the M26 series ceased in 2001, a total of 506,718 rockets had been produced. Each rocket pod contains 6 identical rockets. The M26 rocket and its derivatives were removed from the US Army's active inventory in June 2009, as they did not satisfy a July 2008 Department of Defense policy directive, issued under President George W. Bush, that US cluster munitions that leave more than 1% of submunitions as unexploded ordnance must be destroyed by the end of 2018. (The United States is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits them). The last use of the M26 rocket prior to its use with the GLSDB occurred during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The US started destroying its M26 stocks in 2007, when the US Army requested $109 million for the destruction of 98,904 M26 MLRS rockets from fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2012. but the US requirement to destroy them was removed in 2017. Germany its 26,000 by 25 November 2015, and France its 22,000 by 2017. M26A1 ER rockets carrying 518 M85 submunitions. Range: M26A2 ER rockets carrying 518 M77 submunitions. Interim solution until the M26A1 ER entered service. Range: By December 2021, 50,000 GMLRS rockets had been produced, with yearly production then exceeding 9,000 rockets. Each rocket pod contains 6 identical rockets. The cost of an M31 missile is estimated at $500,000, though this may be the "export price", always higher than the amount charged to the U. S. Army. According to the U. S. Army's budget, it will pay about $168,000 for each GMLRS in 2023. Both Lockheed Martin and the U. S. Army report that the GMLRS has a maximum range of 70+ km (43+ mi). According to a U. S. Department of Defense document the maximum demonstrated performance of a GMLRS is , a figure also reported elsewhere. In 2009 Lockheed Martin announced that a GMLRS had been successfully test fired
During the Russo Ukrainian War, Russian forces have relied on electronic warfare to jam GPS signals. The inertial navigation system is immune to jamming, but less accurate than when paired with GPS coordinates and can miss the target. Ukraine attempted to mitigate the jamming by changes to the software and attacking Russian jamming systems by artillery. The system uses a proximity sensor fuze mode with a 10 meter height of burst. Entered production in 2015. M31 rockets with high explosive unitary warhead. Range: Entered production in 2005. The warhead is produced by General Dynamics and contains of PBX 109 high explosive in a steel blast fragmentation case. M31A1 rockets with high explosive unitary warhead. Range: Improved M31 with new multi mode fuze that added airburst to the M31's fuze point detonation and delay. M31A2 rockets with high explosive unitary warhead. Range: Improved M31A1 with Insensitive Munition Propulsion System (IMPS). The only M31 variant in production since 2019. ER GMLRS rockets with extended range of up to Uses a slightly bigger rocket motor, a newly designed hull, and tail driven guidance, while still being six per pod. It will come in unitary and AW variants. The first successful test flight was in March 2021. In early 2021, Lockheed Martin anticipated putting it into its production line in the fiscal year 2023 contract award and was planning to produce the new rockets at its Camden facility.

The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb is a weapon made by Boeing and the Saab Group, who modified Boeing's GBU 39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the addition of a rocket motor. It has a range of up to .

The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a series of 610 mm surface to surface missile (SSM) with a range of up to Each rocket pod contains one ATACMS missile. As of 2022 only the M48, M57, and M57E1 remain in the US military's active inventory. M39 (ATACMS BLOCK I) missile with inertial guidance. The missile carries 950 M74 Anti personnel and Anti‑materiel (APAM) bomblets. Range: 1,650 M39 were produced between 1990 and 1997, when production ceased in favor of the M39A1. During Desert Storm 32 M39 were fired at Iraqi targets and during Operation Iraqi Freedom a further 379 M39 were fired. The M39 is the only ATACMS variant which can be fired by all M270 and M142 variants. M39A1 (ATACMS BLOCK IA) missile with GPS aided guidance. The missile carries 300 M74 Anti personnel and Anti‑materiel (APAM) bomblets. Range: 610 M39A1 were produced between 1997 and 2003. During Operation Iraqi Freedom 74 M39A1 were fired at Iraqi targets. M48 (ATACMS Quick Reaction Unitary (QRU) missile with GPS aided guidance. It carries the WDU 18/B penetrating high explosive blast fragmentation warhead of the US Navy's Harpoon anti ship missile, which was packaged into the newly designed WAU 23/B warhead section. Range: 176 M48 were produced between 2001 and 2004, when production ceased in favor of the M57. During Operation Iraqi Freedom 16 M48 were fired at Iraqi targets a further 42 M48 were fired during Operation Enduring Freedom.

In the Turkish SAGE 227 project A/B/C/D medium range composite fuel artillery rocket and SAGE 227 F experimental guided rocket were developed from reverse engineering HIMARS missiles due to trust issues in 2019. PARS SAGE 227 F (Turkey): Experimental Guided MLRS (GMLRS) developed by TUBITAK SAGE to replace the M26 rockets.

Israel developed its own rockets to be used in the "Menatetz", an upgraded version of the M270 MLRS. Trajectory Corrected Rocket (TCS/RAMAM): In flight trajectory corrected for enhanced accuracy. Ra'am Eithan ("Strong Thunder"): an improved version of the TCS/RAMAM (in flight trajectory corrected for enhanced accuracy) with significantly decreased percentage of duds.

As part of the circa £2bn Land Deep Fires Programme (LDFP), the British Army intends a large scale modernization effort of its GMLRS capability involving both a increase in the number of launchers and an expansion in the variety of effectors available. The British Army launchers will be upgraded to the M270A2 standard and additional launchers will be purchased and upgraded from stockpiles likely from the US for a total of 75 launchers and 10 recovery vehicles. M270A2 will include a number of British specific upgrades such as new composite rubber tracks, radar and video sensors, as well as the new jointly developed fire control system from the UK, US, Italy, and Finland. MBDA graphics show that LPS could be used on a number of platforms including the M270 with an additional vehicle sporting the two way data link pod, Boxer (as a mission module), or MBDA's iLauncher. The AW warhead is a large airburst fragmentation warhead that explodes 30 feet (9 m) over a target area to disperse penetrating projectiles. Considerable damage is caused to a large area while leaving behind only solid metal penetrators and inert rocket fragments from a warhead containing approximately 182,000 preformed tungsten fragments. The unitary GMLRS also has an airburst option, but while it produces a large blast and pieces of shrapnel, the AW round's small pellets cover a larger area. On 22 May 2013, Lockheed and ATK test fired a GMLRS rocket with a new cluster munition warhead developed under the Alternative Warhead Program (AWP), aimed at producing a drop in replacement for DPICM bomblets in M30 guided rockets. It was fired by an M142 HIMARS and traveled before detonating. The AWP warhead will have equal or greater effect against materiel and personnel targets, while leaving no unexploded ordnance behind. In October 2013, Lockheed conducted the third and final engineering development test flight of the GMLRS alternative warhead. Three rockets were fired from away and destroyed their ground targets. The Alternative Warhead Program then moved to production qualification testing. The fifth and final Production Qualification Test (PQT) for the AW GMLRS was conducted in April 2014, firing four rockets from a HIMARS at targets away. In July 2014, Lockheed successfully completed all Developmental Test/Operational Test (DT/OT) flight tests for the AW GMLRS. They were the first tests conducted with soldiers operating the fire control system, firing rockets at mid and long range from a HIMARS. The Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) exercise was to be conducted in fall 2014. In September 2015, Lockheed received a contract for Lot 10 production of the GMLRS unitary rocket, which includes the first order for AW production.

: United States Army (840+151), 225 M270A1 and 160 M270A2 being delivered. GMLRS and ATACMS operational. Three donated to the United Kingdom to support the corresponding transfer of three British M270B1 MLRS to Ukraine. Another 8 donated in May 2023.
: United States Marine Corps replaced by M142 HIMARS.