The U.S. Army has announced that it is deployed the M270 multiple launch rocket systems or
MLRS in Europe along with several support vehicles.
These will be received by 41st Field Artillery Brigade, which is the only U.S. rocket artillery
brigade in Europe.
Viewers may note that 41st Field Artillery Brigade was activated in November last year
and is based out of Germany.
Reports indicate that the Brigade has received around 16 M270A1 MLRS.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes U.S. Army deployment of M270 A1 Multiple Launch
Rocket Systems in Europe.
Let’s get started.
This video is sponsored by War Thunder, the most comprehensive military vehicle online
game for PC, PlayStation4 and Xbox One, in which you can go to battle on more than 1200
playable aircraft, tanks, helicopters and ships from the 1930s to the 1990s.
The game has an amazing attention to detail and focuses on a realistic combat experience,
which is why knowing your vehicles and skill really makes a difference.
It's easy to get into, and all you need to play is nothing more but your mouse and keyboard
or controller.
Immerse yourself in cross-platform combat with more than 20 million other military vehicle
enthusiasts from all over the world . Download and play War Thunder for free using the link
in the description below and also get a free bonus tank or aircraft or ship and three days
of premium account.
In the early 1970s, the Soviet Union had a clear advantage over U.S. and NATO forces
in terms of rocket artillery.
Soviet tactics of bombardment by large numbers of truck-mounted MRLs, such as the BM-21,
would saturate a target area with thousands of rockets, ensuring some would hit specific
targets while delivering a psychological impact.
By contrast, American artillerists favored cannon artillery for its relative accuracy
and ammunition conservation over "area fire" rockets, and as a result were left with a
small amount of WW2-vintage rocket artillery.
This mindset began to change following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which saw high loss rates,
especially from rear-area weapons like Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), as well as the effective
Israeli tactic of hitting such sites with MRLs.
This combined with the realization that such an experience would happen on a larger scale
in the event of war in Europe, the U.S. Army wrote a requirement for a new rocket launcher
in March 1974 called the General Support Rocket System (GSRS).
It was envisaged to be used to engage enemy air defenses and for counterbattery fire,
freeing cannon units to provide close support for ground forces.
NATO allies including the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany were consulted on
the project, and since they had already been looking to create a similar system independently,
their name for it was adopted, changing GSRS to MLRS.
Development began in September 1977 by Boeing and Vought Aerospace, and first production
models were delivered in August 1982.
An M270 launcher unit has two six-rocket pods for a total of 12 rockets or missile.
These pods are basically disposable containers.
The rockets are fired straight away from these pods.
It is interesting to note that the rockets can be stored in these pods for around 10
years with any need for maintenance.
The launcher unit is mounted on a stretched Bradley chassis which makes the system mobile.
The vehicle has a maximum speed of 40 miles/hr or 64 km/hr and a range of 300 miles or 483
km
The system has 3 crew - a driver, gunner and section chief.
The launcher unit is self-loading and self-aiming system and can be fired without the crew leaving
the vehicle.
The system is accurate as it has a dedicated fire control computer.
Rockets can be fired individually or in ripples of two to 12.
All the 12 can be launched within 60 seconds if required.
The rockets have a range of more than 30 km or 18.5 miles.
The same system can be used to launch TacMS Block IA missiles which can reach beyond 300
km or 185 miles.
TacMS or Tactical Missile System is a surface-to-surface missile manufactured by the American company
Lockheed Martin.
Two important developments have taken place in recent times.
First is that Russia has been modernizing its forces rapidly and is much more capable
militarily.
It has also been more aggressive which can be gauged by its Crimea campaign.
Second is the recent nullification of the INF Treaty in August.
INF Treaty was signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.
It banned ground-launch missiles with ranges from 500 km to 5,500 km that is 310 to 3420 miles
The INF Treaty eliminated around 2,700 nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as their
launchers.
This was achieved by May 1991.
This included short-range missile with 310–620 mi that is 5000–1,000 km range and intermediate
range missile with 620–3,420 mi that is 1,000–5,500 km range.
These developments increase the probability of a skirmish or full-blown conflict in Europe.
Russia has in its armory several MLRS systems like BM-21 Grad and 9A52-4 Tornado.
Keeping this in mind, deployment of M270 multiple launch rocket systems is a significant tactical
decision as it has the capability to saturate the target area with intense and concentrated fire.