Photo: Lockheed Martin
Ever since the war in Ukraine started more than two years ago, a variety of acronyms and military terms have constantly made the headlines. And that is because all the parties involved in the conflict are using the best weaponry at their disposal to make gains on the battlefield.
One of the terms that is constantly in the news is GMLRS. Short for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System it is also a term that inspires fear in both warring parties because of the capabilities of these systems.
Made by strike deep behind enemy lines, GMLRS systems vary in range and punch, and constant efforts are being made to improve both of these capabilities. And the most recent news in this respect comes from Lockheed Martin, a company heavily involved in the production of rockets of this kind.
At the time of writing the Lockheed offering in the GMLRS segment includes a 200-pound (91 kg) unitary warhead that can strike targets located 43 miles (70 km) away and a 200-pound class fragmenting warhead with the same range. For a while now, however, the company has been working on bettering the reach of its weapons with an extended-range variant.
We have known of this improved variant of the GMLRS for several years now. Back in 2021, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher from the U.S. Army fired the ER GMLRS, as it's called, to a distance of 50 miles (80 km).
The gain may not seem all that much at first glance, but on the battlefield it could mean the difference between a successful military operation and a failed one. Tests have been ongoing ever since, culminating with an announcement made last week about another one being completed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
It is there where the Army once again fired the weapon from a HIMARS. In fact, two of these extended-range rockets were unleashed against unspecified targets at the range. The test was meant to put the rockets through their paces when it comes to flight trajectory, range and accuracy.
No specific details were provided on how much of a distance the rocket was able to cover or what type of warhead, if any, it had on. The main photo of this piece does however come with a caption saying "Lockheed Martin’s ER GMLRS doubles the range of the current munition."
The procedure conducted recently was, by all accounts, an operational test, meaning the ER GMLRS is now closer than ever to mass production and use on the battlefield. No mention is made as to when we are to actually expect the rockets in large numbers in the real world, but we do know they will be assembled in the same place where Lockheed Martin produced more than 70,000 GMLRS rounds over the years for both domestic and international partners: the Precision Fires Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas.
Made by strike deep behind enemy lines, GMLRS systems vary in range and punch, and constant efforts are being made to improve both of these capabilities. And the most recent news in this respect comes from Lockheed Martin, a company heavily involved in the production of rockets of this kind.
At the time of writing the Lockheed offering in the GMLRS segment includes a 200-pound (91 kg) unitary warhead that can strike targets located 43 miles (70 km) away and a 200-pound class fragmenting warhead with the same range. For a while now, however, the company has been working on bettering the reach of its weapons with an extended-range variant.
We have known of this improved variant of the GMLRS for several years now. Back in 2021, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher from the U.S. Army fired the ER GMLRS, as it's called, to a distance of 50 miles (80 km).
The gain may not seem all that much at first glance, but on the battlefield it could mean the difference between a successful military operation and a failed one. Tests have been ongoing ever since, culminating with an announcement made last week about another one being completed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
It is there where the Army once again fired the weapon from a HIMARS. In fact, two of these extended-range rockets were unleashed against unspecified targets at the range. The test was meant to put the rockets through their paces when it comes to flight trajectory, range and accuracy.
No specific details were provided on how much of a distance the rocket was able to cover or what type of warhead, if any, it had on. The main photo of this piece does however come with a caption saying "Lockheed Martin’s ER GMLRS doubles the range of the current munition."
The procedure conducted recently was, by all accounts, an operational test, meaning the ER GMLRS is now closer than ever to mass production and use on the battlefield. No mention is made as to when we are to actually expect the rockets in large numbers in the real world, but we do know they will be assembled in the same place where Lockheed Martin produced more than 70,000 GMLRS rounds over the years for both domestic and international partners: the Precision Fires Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas.
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