Long-range rocket artillery munitions: A market overview

Demand for long-range rocket artillery has increased with the return to great power conflict. The Ukraine war is demonstrating the utility and power of this weapon category on the modern battlefield.

The definition of long-range rocket artillery is fluid on two axes, so it is necessary to set some parameters for this review since different nations may draw different lines between medium- and long-range systems. For the purpose of this article, however, long-range will be applied to systems capable of striking targets at a distance of 70 km or more, although the majority of weapons discussed will have a notably greater range. Likewise, some nations distinguish between rocket and ballistic missile systems. As the boundary between high-end large rocket artillery and lower-end ballistic missiles becomes increasingly blurred – in part by imbuing rocket artillery with greater range, size, and precision guidance capabilities – this review will treat the differentiation between the two weapon classes as academic. The decisive factor for inclusion will be the operational employment of the weapon system as conventionally-armed indirect surface-to-surface precision fires suitable to neutralising high-value, time-critical targets at extended range.

GMLRS

The guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) developed and produced by Lockheed Martin can be launched from the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and M270 derivative launchers, as well as from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher system. They are currently in service with 16 nations including ten NATO member countries. Donations from the United States and European partners have made Ukraine the 17th operator.

GMLRS illustrates major development trends regarding rocket artillery. The M270 MLRS initially deployed the M26 family of medium-range unguided rockets which were fielded as of 1983. The United States and the various European users phased these unguided weapons out between 2007 and 2017. They were replaced by the GMLRS which was approved for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in 2003 and first used in combat in Iraq during 2005.

Several improved GMLRS munitions were developed over the last two decades. These precision-strike guided weapons are currently produced in two variants, both of which utilise an inertial navigation system (INS) paired with Global Positioning System (GPS) for guidance. The M30A2 rockets carry an area-effects payload consisting of a 90 kg high explosive (HE) warhead surrounded by two layers of pre-fragmented inert tungsten projectiles. This payload is designated as the Alternate Warhead (AW), which detonates in airburst mode. The height of burst (HOB) is adjustable. By contrast, the M31A2 rocket mounts a 90 kg unitary HE warhead in a steel casing for low-collateral precision strike against point targets. The unitary warhead permits attacking targets in urban settings. Three detonation options are available: HOB, point detonation on impact, and delayed detonation following impact.

Both the M30A2 and the M31A2 utilise the improved Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS) motor and achieve a range of 84 km, a notable improvement over the M26A1’s roughly 45 km range. However, in future war scenarios surface-to-surface rocket artillery will require significantly greater range in order to deny the enemy safe havens for marshalling forces, stockpiling ordnance, or launching airstrikes. Since 2018, Lockheed Martin has been developing the Extended Range (ER) GMLRS capable of striking targets located over 150 km from the launcher. Like the current system, the extended-range rockets will come in two variants, the M403 with the AW payload and the M404 with the unitary payload. The ER munitions have a redesigned body, a larger motor, and a tail-driven control system that enhances manoeuvrability when compared to current GMLRS rockets. The rocket will adjust the attack trajectory to vertical at select ranges to target. It also has a new side-mounted proximity sensor (SMPS) designed to enable an optimal height of burst (HOB) for both the AW and unitary warhead variants of ER GLMRS.

First flight of the ER GMLRS was conducted in March 2021. Since then several successful test launches from the HIMARS have been conducted, validating the rocket’s ability to complete a 150 km flight trajectory and demonstrate flight accuracy from launch to impact on designated target sets. As of January 2025, the Army plans to conduct another five flight tests, including two launches of multiple rockets, through the autumn of 2026. A full-rate production (FRP) decision is expected by the end of 2026. Foreign military sales of the ER GMLRS have already been approved.

ATACMS

Lockheed Martin’s MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) can be launched from either the M270 MLRS or the HIMARS launching system. It was first used during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, providing a long-range, precision-guided missile system crucial of striking targets deep within enemy territory. Currently, it is in the inventory of 11 nations, including Ukraine, with five additional nations contracted to procure the ATACMS.

The most recent configuration of the ATACMS carries the US Army designation M57E1 MOD, which achieves up to 300 km range and has a 227 kg unitary warhead. The warhead can be programmed to detonate on impact or, using a proximity sensor, in airburst mode. The M57E1 MOD is created by modifying older ATACMS variants. This modification process is accomplished by replacing older missiles’ M74 anti-personnel and anti- materiel (APAM) bomblet payload with the unitary warhead, re-graining the propellent in the motor to enhance performance, and upgrading navigation and guidance systems.

PrSM

Ultimately, ATACMS will be replaced by the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) currently being developed by Lockheed Martin, which the Army initiated in 2016. The PrSM is to be fielded in four sequential increments, each endowed with additional or enhanced capabilities. While offering considerably better performance parameters than ATACMS, the PrSM will be launched from the M270 MLRS and the M142 HIMARS, and will be utilised much the same way as ATACMS is now, albeit two PrSM missiles will fit per launch pod, in place of the one per pod with ATACMS. As defined by Lockheed Martin, PrSM’s mission is to deliver enhanced capabilities for neutralising, suppressing and destroying targets at depth, supporting units and operational commands from the brigade level upward and contributing to multi-domain operations (MDO).

Flight testing began in 2019 and has maintained a high success rate. Following the successful fifth production qualification test (PQT) in November 2023, the Army accepted delivery of the first four units of the Increment 1 Early Operational Capability (Inc 1 EOC) production run in December 2023, with an additional 22 missiles to be delivered through 2024. “From [December 2023] forward, we have been focusing on more ground testing and flight testing to make sure that the system we put in the hands of soldiers had been vetted through all the safety things that need to be done,” said Lt. Col Zack Lewis, PrSM Inc 1 programme manager, in October 2024. In December 2024, the Army conducted the first Limited User Test (LUT) performed exclusively by military personnel. Two missiles were launched from a HIMARS in a long-range test against a target set, proving system readiness.

Increment 1 has a unitary HE warhead equivalent in size and effects to ATACMS; an insensitive munition (IM) energetic payload and propulsion system; and an INS/GPS guidance system. The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have, to date, been intentionally vague regarding the new weapon’s range. According to the Pentagon, Inc 1 is considered the PrSM baseline capability with a threshold lethal range of 400 km. Lockheed Martin has in fact confirmed that the missile has demonstrated 499+ km range in testing. Lockheed Martin further stated that the system’s open architecture ensures the capability to “easily spiral” the missile’s capabilities to achieve longer ranges.

Additional Production Qualification Tests of Inc 1 are expected through June 2025 and an acquisition Milestone C decision is expected by the end of Fiscal Year 2025 (30 September 2025); a declaration of IOC is also anticipated in 2025.

Development of Inc 2 began in 2020, with the Army planning to begin procurement in Fiscal Year 2026, with deliveries due in 2027. Army budget documents indicate that Inc 2 will have a multi-channel guidance system that will enable engagement of moving targets including naval vessels, but also high-value relocatable land targets. Future plans call for an Inc 3 which will focus on enhanced lethality, and an Inc 4 which could achieve up to twice the range of Inc 1. According to Army statements, work on Inc 4 is in the science and technology phase.

Europe seeks to diversify

Many European nations utilise the M270 MLRS (or derivative launchers modified to local standards) and/or the M142 HIMARS. Consequentially, they rely largely on the GMLRS or, to a lesser extent, the ATACMS for long-range rocket artillery munitions. Several have already announced plans to adopt the PrSM when it enters service. According to Brig Rory Crooks, head of the US Army Futures Command’s Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, the UK and Australia have even expressed interest in co-development of future PrSM increments.

At the same time, European nations are also seeking to diversify their rocket artillery capabilities as they upgrade their arsenals for high-end future warfare. Several bi- and multinational projects and studies are underway to modernise the currently operational modified MLRS launchers or, alternately, to develop new launchers which will permit deployment of a greater variety of rocket munitions. This latter initiative would reduce reliance on US-designed or manufactured rockets and missiles. European nations are already planning to source some weapon systems from third-party vendors outside the United States. Additionally, France in particular is pursuing domestically developed long-range rocket artillery options.

CGR-080

In 2022, Poland placed an order for the K239 Chunmoo MLRS system produced by Hanwha Defense. First units were delivered in August 2023, with field trials conducted in 2024; a follow-up order was announced in December 2024. The Polish Army designates the truck-mounted system as the Homar-K MLRS, and plans to use the new weapon system side-by-side with the existing fleet of HIMARS. With the K239 able to accommodate a variety of munitions, Poland has ordered the CGR-080 239 mm guided missiles which carry an HE warhead and have a range of up to 80 km.

Additionally, Poland is acquiring the CTM-290 ballistic missile which is also launched from the Homar-K; this 600 mm missile has a 290 km range and carries either a 500 kg penetrating warhead suitable for attacking bunkers and other hardened targets, or a thermobaric warhead.

EuroPULS

In February 2025, Germany announced that it would become the fourth European nation (after Denmark, The Netherlands and Spain) to procure the Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) produced by Elbit Systems; additional European nations are considering the system. For this new market, Elbit and partner firms, including KNDS Deutschland, are integrating German command and control (C2) systems to produce the EuroPULS variant. Serbia for its part is purchasing the original PULS system.

PULS and EuroPULS can deploy a wide range of munitions, including third-party weapons, reducing reliance on a single supplier. Most European operators have yet to announce their intended loadout. However, Elbit has announced that at least one European customer has included rockets with the PULS acquisition contract. In September 2024, Diehl Defence and Elbit Systems Land announced a partnership to “deliver rockets and advanced training rockets for the PULS and EuroPULS, specifically designed to meet the European rocket artillery requirements and those of the German armed forces in particular”.

Two Elbit Systems munitions would have significant potential for European nations’ long-range rocket artillery mission. The Extended-Range Artillery (EXTRA) missile has been offered since the mid-2000s, and has a range of up to 150 km, with a circular error probable (CEP) of 10 m. Four missiles can fit per PULS launch pod; the 120 kg warhead is available as a unitary HE-FRAG warhead or a penetrating warhead for hardened targets.

Alternatively, Elbit’s Predator Hawk missile has a 300 km range, striking targets at maximum distance within eight minutes of launch with a CEP of <10 m. Up to two missiles can fit per PULS launch pod; this munition carries a 140 kg unitary warhead.

Uncertainty remains regarding the compatibility of the EuroPULS and GMLRS munitions. While Elbit has maintained that the American rockets could be integrated with the Israeli launch system, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for strategy, Howard Bromberg, has explicitly stated that the two systems were incompatible. “The MLRS family of munitions cannot be integrated into the PULS system,” Bromberg said during Eurosatory 2024. Should there be no technical workaround, countries such as Germany would ultimately be forced to maintain two launch systems or divest themselves of their remaining GMLRS stocks.

Feux Longue Portée-Terre (FLP-T)

France plans to phase out its remaining nine M270 derivative Lance-Roquettes Unitaire (LRU) launcher systems (which no longer receive maintenance support from Lockheed Martin) and replace them with a (preferably) domestically developed system. The Feux Longue Portée-Terre (FLP-T) long-range ground fires programme calls for fielding the new system by 2027, a timeline the Chief of Staff of the French Army, Gen Pierre Schill, now concedes is not realistic. Schill has called for intense maintenance to keep the LRU operational past their 2027 end-of-service date and acquire LRU-compatible rockets able to “shoot deep within the 100 kilometre range” while the FLP-T programme goes forward.

The Military Programming Law (LPM) 2024–2030 calls for the FLP-T programme to acquire 13 new missile artillery systems by 2030 and a total of 26 systems by 2035. Performance goals call for fielding rockets with 150 km range during the programme’s first phase (2024–2030), with range extended to 500 km during the second phase (2030–2035). Two consortia are currently competing for the contract to develop both the new launcher and new munitions. One partnership consists of Arianespace, which is pursuing missile propulsion and warhead development, and Thales, which is responsible for guidance systems.

The second consortium is composed of Safran Electronics and Defence and MBDA France. Here, MBDA is responsible for munitions propulsion and warhead design while Safran is responsible for guidance systems. The partners have already presented their Thundart guided artillery rocket as a FLP-T solution during Eurosatory 2024. The model displayed at Eurosatory appears to show a 227 mm diameter body. The Thundart is compatible with the LRU, and achieves the 150 km range required for phase 1 of the long-range ground fires programme.

The INS/GNSS navigation and guidance system will be based on the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) family of air-launched bombs, albeit configured to withstand the shocks associated with aircraft carrier catapult starts and arrested landings. Matthieu Krouri, head of the Battlefield sector at MBDA, emphasised that Thundart could strike movable but not moving targets, at least during the first increment. According to Krouri, “The machine must be able to strike with precision fixed or movable targets up to a distance of about 150 km. The idea here is not to strike moving targets, which would require a more complex and much more expensive guidance system, but to be able to ensure a certain form of saturation both against fixed infrastructures and against targets of opportunity […] thanks to the rocket’s deployment and movement speed.”

Changing times

Moving forward, two noteworthy trends for future rocket artillery include moving target engagement capability, and the use of air-breathing munitions. In this vein, MBDA has recently showcased two designs with such capabilities.

The UK is pursuing moving target engagement at more traditional rocket artillery ranges, in the form of the Land Precision Strike (LPS) programme. The solution being developed by MBDA comprises a turbojet-powered munition flying at high subsonic speeds, with a sophisticated active radar seeker capable of independently scanning for targets in flight, performing automatic target recognition, and manoeuvring to intercept the target, even against moving targets. The round is smaller than many others mentioned in this article, at 190 mm in diameter, roughly 3.5 m long, and weighing under 140 kg. While smaller than many missiles in this class, the expectation here is that the munition’s very high precision offsets the need for a large warhead. While certainly a very promising programme, it remains to be seen whether or not the UK will elect to proceed with it following the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) due out later in 2025.

The second noteworthy design from MBDA is the Joint Fires Support Missile (JFS-M), first showcased at the ILA 2022 exhibition. The munition is significantly larger than the LPS munition, and is essentially a surface-launched cruise missile, though MBDA specifically refers to it as an ‘artillery’ system compatible with the German Army’s Future Indirect Fire System programme. JFS-M is capable of deploying from mixed-load multiple rocket launchers including M270 derivatives and EuroPULS. The operational concept presented by MBDA would deploy the cruise missile in precisely the same manner as the solid-fuel artillery rockets, attacking the same target sets to achieve the same goals.

According to MBDA, JFS-M is expected to have a range of over 300-500 km and a scalable-effect warhead capable of eliminating point targets or small area targets. The missile can be deployed on kinetic attack, electronic warfare, or reconnaissance missions (depending on payload), and employ variable flight patterns and low-level flight to minimise detection and maximise survival. Missiles can be networked with one another or with other weapon systems and command centres, maximising situational awareness and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The combination of GPS and image-based navigation and guidance systems, augmented by an AI-supported Automated Target Recognition capability, are expected to allow engagement of moving targets, and provide redundancy against electronic warfare countermeasures.

MBDA is currently self-financing the technology maturation for the JFS-M. The German Army’s expansion plan calls for acquiring the ability to strike targets at 300 km distance by the early 2030s. Jochen Dehner, MBDA’s head of army systems marketing, has expressed confidence that his firm could provide the capability, with the caveat that the start of a development programme would depend on when a selection decision is made and on the level of budget allocation.

Sidney E. Dean