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UK Conducts Live-Fire Testing of First Two M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.
The United Kingdom has begun test and evaluation of its first M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, with live firing conducted in the United States ahead of delivery to the British Army this summer. The milestone marks a major step in modernising the UK’s deep fires capability as NATO places renewed emphasis on long-range precision fires.
On February 5, 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) announced on X that the first two M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems have entered test and evaluation ahead of handover to the British Army’s Field Army this summer. The post, which includes firing footage from White Sands Missile Range in the United States, describes the step as a significant milestone in delivering greater firepower, flexibility and range for the Royal Artillery. This announcement comes after several years of investment to recapitalise the United Kingdom’s M270 fleet and to move from the current M270A1/M270B1 standard to the more capable M270A2 configuration.
The UK has begun live testing of its first upgraded M270A2 rocket launchers in the United States, marking a key milestone in modernising the British Army’s long-range firepower ahead of summer fielding (Picture Source: UK MoD / Lockheed Martin)
The test and evaluation campaign now under way in the United States is the operational expression of the British Army’s long-range fires modernisation, known as the Land Deep Fires programme. The current British launchers in service are M270B1s, a national variant of the M270A1 that added enhanced armour to protect crews against improvised explosive devices after experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under a five-year programme launched in 2021, the UK decided to modernise 44 of these in-service launchers with new armoured cabs and upgraded automotive and launch components, with work starting in March 2022 and intended to keep the system relevant through to around 2050. The arrival of the first M270A2s in test therefore, marks the transition point where earlier M270A1/B1 configurations begin to give way to a common A2 standard aligned with the United States and other partners.
From a technical perspective, the M270A2 is more than a simple life-extension of the existing MLRS launcher. The upgrade introduces a new 600-horsepower engine, a rebuilt transmission and other automotive improvements designed to restore mobility and reliability despite decades of service and higher system weight. It replaces the older cab with an improved armoured cabin offering better protection and ergonomics, and installs new launcher modules. At the core of the configuration lies the Common Fire Control System (CFCS), a digital architecture that standardises software across the MLRS family and enables the launcher to employ Guided MLRS (GMLRS), Extended-Range GMLRS and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). In addition, the UK programme is adding national features such as composite rubber tracks and a modern vehicle camera and radar suite, tailoring the platform to British requirements while remaining interoperable with allied fleets.
The M270 family has accumulated extensive combat experience in British and allied service, from the 1991 Gulf War to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and, more recently, through donated systems used by Ukraine. The British M270B1 was designed to fire both unguided rockets and, later, GMLRS rounds with GPS guidance, offering high accuracy at ranges beyond 70 kilometres. The performance of GMLRS in Ukraine, where long-range rocket artillery has been used to strike command posts, ammunition depots and bridges far behind the front line, has underscored for many NATO armies the importance of survivable launchers able to deliver precise salvos and then displace rapidly before counter-battery fire. The UK’s donation of several M270 launchers and rockets to Kyiv has simultaneously demonstrated the operational relevance of the system and created a requirement to rebuild and expand the Royal Artillery’s own inventory, a gap the M270A2 programme is designed to fill.
The shift from M270A1/B1 to M270A2 will change how British artillery units plan and execute deep fires. With the CFCS and new automotive package, an M270A2 can select targets, compute firing solutions, salvo its 12 rockets and redeploy in significantly less time than older variants, increasing survivability against counter-battery radars and loitering munitions. The ability to employ Extended-Range GMLRS out to roughly 150 kilometres and, in the future, PrSM at several hundred kilometres extends the reach of land forces into what was traditionally the preserve of fast jets or cruise missiles. Combined with improved protection and vision systems, the A2 configuration allows launchers to operate closer to manoeuvre formations when required, while still delivering deep strikes against high-value targets such as air-defence nodes, logistics hubs and choke points. This combination of mobility, protection and reach strengthens the Royal Artillery’s ability to support armoured brigades and divisional headquarters in a contested environment.
The M270A2 is emerging as one of the main pillars of the United Kingdom’s contribution to NATO long-range fires and deterrence on the Alliance’s northern and eastern flanks. The British Army’s Land Deep Fires programme, which includes GMLRS-ER and PrSM as well as the launcher upgrade, is aligned with a broader political commitment from London to assume a larger share of NATO’s capability burden and to reinforce a “NATO-first” posture in European defence. By adopting the same launcher standard as the US Army and several European partners, the UK positions itself within a common logistics and training ecosystem where launchers, rockets and missiles can be pooled, stockpiles shared, and multinational fire plans coordinated more easily. The result is a more coherent allied deep-strike network in which British M270A2 batteries can integrate seamlessly with US M270A2 and HIMARS units, as well as with other European MLRS operators, to deliver coordinated salvos across land, air and maritime domains.
As the first pair of M270A2 launchers conducts live firing at White Sands Missile Range ahead of delivery to the Field Army this summer, the UK programme is moving from concept and contracting to tangible capability. For DE&S, the step is presented as evidence of sustained cooperation between the acquisition authority, the British Army and international industrial partners. For the Royal Artillery and NATO, it signals the arrival of a renewed, interoperable deep-fires tool that builds on the experience of the M270A1/B1 while opening access to a new generation of long-range precision munitions. In the coming years, as more M270A1/B1 launchers are stripped, rebuilt and returned to service as M270A2s, the British Army’s rocket artillery will increasingly reflect the lessons of recent conflicts and the demands of high-intensity operations in Europe, contributing to a more credible and flexible deterrent posture for the Alliance as a whole.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.