The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Finland of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $535 million. The Government of Finland has requested to buy one hundred fifty (150) M30A1 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead (AW) (Steel Case), or M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead (AW) Missile Pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS), or a combination of both; and two hundred fifty (250) M31A1 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) Warhead (Steel Case), or M31A2 GMLRS-U IMPS, or a combination of both. Also included is a Quality Assurance Team (QAT); transportation services; and other related elements of program and logistics support.
Finland will use this equipment to modernize its armed forces by expanding its existing architecture to counter threats from potential attacks. This will contribute to the Finnish military’s goal to update its capability while further enhancing interoperability among Finland, the U.S., and other allies. Finland, which already has M270 MLRS in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing these upgraded systems. Finland operates M270D1 launchers, which it calls 298 RsRakH 06, that can fire the full range of MLRS precision munitions, including GMLRS Unitary and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Unitary. 22 M270 were bought from the Netherlands in 2006 and upgraded to M270D1 in 2011. The M270D1 use the M142’s Universal Fire Control System instead of the standard M270A1 Improved Fire Control System. A further 6 refurbished M270D1 were obtained from the US in 2014. The remaining 12 former Danish M270 are used for driver training only.
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS) is an American armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher. The U.S. Army variant of the MLRS vehicle is based on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The first M270s were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1983. The MLRS were subsequently adopted by several NATO countries and other countries. 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: 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 MLRS has been upgraded to fire guided missiles.
Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets have an extended range and add GPS-aided guidance to their Inertial Navigation System. Flight control is accomplished by four forward-mounted canards driven by electromechanical actuators. GMLRS rockets were introduced in 2005 and can be fired from the M270A1 and M270A2, the European M270A1 variants (British Army M270B1, German Army MARS II, French Army Lance Roquette Unitaire (LRU), Italian Army MLRS Improved (MLRS-I), Finnish Army M270D1), and the lighter M142. M30 and M31 rockets are, except for their warheads, identical. M30A1 rockets with is a GMLRS rocket that replaces the M30’s submunitions with approximately 182,000 pre-formed tungsten fragments for area effects without unexploded ordnance. M30A2 is an Improved M30A1 with Insensitive Munition Propulsion System (IMPS).
