U.S. approves selling ammunition for rocket launchers to Finland for $535 mln

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of additional ammunition for Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to Finland for about $535 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Wednesday.

According to a statement on 2 November, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Finland of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $535 million.

“The increased national stock is critical to Finland’s defense and deterrence due to the deteriorated security situation in Europe,” the agency said in the statement, adding Finland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The announcements say that the government of Finland has requested to buy 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.

The principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Corp, Missile and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, TX. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale. There is a request pending for diversion of 50% of this procurement from U.S. stock. That final decision will determine which version GMLRS could potentially be procured.

GMLRS postures as a battle-tested, long-range munition and is available to Army division and corps commanders, swiftly delivering a precision strike capability against critical, time-sensitive threats.

The current GMLRS family of munitions consists of three fielded variants: Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) and the Alternative Warhead (AW) variants to service area targets; and the Unitary variant with a single 200-pound-class high-explosive charge to service point targets with low collateral damage.

GMLRS is employed with the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers.