MLRS PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Abstract

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a full spectrum, combat proven, all weather, 24/7 lethal and responsive, precision strike weapon system that fully supports more deployable, affordable and lethal, Brigade Combat Teams, Fires Brigades, Modular Forces, and Joint Expeditionary Forces. The HIMARS launcher is a C-130 transportable, wheeled, indirect fire, rocket/missile launcher capable of firing all rockets and missiles in the current and future Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munitions (MFOM) and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Family of Munitions (AFOM) engaging targets with precision out to ranges of 300 kilometers. HIMARS satisfies the Army's digitization requirements by interfacing with the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) fire support command and control system. The HIMARS product improvement program provides funding for research, development, and integration efforts necessary for sustainment, obsolescence mitigation, reliability improvements, incorporation of advanced automotive, armor, armament and system hardware and software technologies, and decreasing the logistics footprint. This effort includes performing technical assessments, concept studies, and risk reduction efforts for incorporation of future requirements. The HIMARS product improvement program maintains compliance with Intra-Army Interoperability and Digital Communications. HIMARS has been deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and is still supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with great success by both US Army and Marine Corps units. MLRS is a full spectrum, combat proven, all weather, 24/7 lethal and responsive, Precision Strike weapon system that is organic/assigned to Fires Brigades supporting Brigade Combat Teams. The MLRS launcher provides critical missile precision strike, operational shaping fires, counterfire, and close support destructive and suppressive fires. The launcher is complimented by the MFOM to include the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), and the AFOM, capable of engaging targets up to a range of 300 kilometers. The MLRS product improvement program provides funding for research, development, and integration efforts to the MLRS necessary for sustainment, obsolescence mitigation, reliability improvements, incorporation of advanced automotive, armor, armament and system hardware and software technologies, and decreasing the logistics footprint. This effort includes performing technical assessments, concept studies, and risk reduction efforts for incorporation of future requirements. The MLRS product improvement program maintains compliance with Intra-Army Interoperability and Digital Communications via Joint Variable Message Format. GMLRS munitions are the Army's primary organic Joint Expeditionary, all-weather, all-terrain, 24/7, tactical precision guided rockets employed by modular Fires Brigades supporting Brigade Combat Teams, Divisions, Joint Special Operations Force, Joint Force Combatant Commanders, and is also a key component of the Marine Corps Future Fighting Effort. GMLRS is the primary munitions for units fielded with the HIMARS and MLRS M270A1 rocket and missile launcher platforms. GMLRS provides close, medium, and long range precision and area fires to destroy, suppress, and shape threat forces and protect friendly forces against the following: cannon, mortar, rocket and missile artillery, light materiel and armor, personnel, command and control, and air defense surface targets. GMLRS integrates guidance and control package and an improved rocket motor achieving greater range and precision accuracy requiring fewer rockets to defeat targets, thereby reducing the logistics burden. The two fielded variants are GMLRS with Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM /Increment 1) and GMLRS Unitary (U/Increment 2), a 200-pound class high explosive warhead. The GMLRS Unitary is a modification to the GMLRS DPICM integrating a multi-mode fuze and high explosive warhead making it an all-weather, low collateral damage, precision strike rocket. This modification expands the MLRS target set into urban and complex environments by adding, point, proximity and delay fuzing modes, and supports Troops in Contact (TIC) scenarios. A third variant of GMLRS, the Alternative Warhead (AW/Increment 3) has completed Technology Development (TD) with a successful Milestone B and will enter Engineering and Manufacturing Development in FY12, with the Production and Deployment beginning in 2QFY15. The GMLRS AW is being developed to replace DPICM and meet requirements outlined in a 25 JUN 2008 DoD Cluster Munitions Policy, which requires all cluster munitions by 2019 to produce less than 1% Unexploded Ordinance on the battlefield. As of FY10, the AW Program has been managed and funded under project code, 78G. To date, over 2,121 GMLRS rockets have been fired in support of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) by the Army

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2013
• Source ID: 0603778A_7_2040_PB_2013
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Afghanistan Conflict
• Artillery
• Command And Control
• Command And Control Systems
• Contingency Operations (Military)
• Control Systems
• Fire Control Systems
• High Explosives
• Insensitive Explosives
• Iraqi-War
• Multiple Launch Rocket System
• Munitions
• Short Range Ballistic Missiles
• Test And Evaluation
• Test Equipment
• Warfare
• Weapons Effects

Readers

• Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
• Missile Defense Systems.
• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control