Validation of Finnish army multiple launch rocket system ammunition effects.

On 24 November, the Finnish Ministry of Defense announced that its army had increased its readiness for long-range fires. The Army conducted test firing to validate the effectiveness and precision of the multiple launch rocket system ammunition in Rovajärvi on 16-17 November 2020.
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The Finnish Army successfully conducted the test firing to validate the effectiveness and precision of the multiple launch rocket system GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) Unitary rockets (Picture source: Finnish Defence Forces)

The Finnish Army successfully conducted the test firing to validate the effectiveness and precision of the multiple launch rocket system GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) Unitary rockets for point effects precision fire, and that of GMLRS AW (Alternative Warhead) rockets for engaging area targets for area effects in long-range fires.

The multiple launch rocket system is part of the Finnish Defence Forces’ system for joint effects with capability for engaging located targets from land, sea and air. The test firing was conducted to test the Army and Air Force long-range standoff fires capabilities for joint effects on the same target. The firing also involved testing forward observation and validating the effectiveness of the fire.

The GMLRS ammunition supplements the Finnish Defence Forces’ array of joint effects. With a range of approximately 80 kilometres, the GLMRS Unitary rocket explodes on target, whereas the GMLRS AW projectile with area effects spreads fragmentation exploding above the target.

The decision on procuring the multiple launch rocket system GMLRS ammunition dates back to 2016. The procurement acquisition provides the Army with a capability for new wide-ranging effects. The utilisation of the multiple launch rocket system purchased in 2006 is now increasingly effective and with access to a more versatile selection of munition.

The first use of the GMLRS was in September 2005 in Iraq, when two rockets were fired in Tal Afar over 50 km and hit insurgent strongholds, killing 48 fighters. In April 2011, the first modernized MLRS II and M31 GMLRS rocket were handed over to the German Army's Artillery School in Idar Oberstein. The German Army operates the M31 rocket up to a range of 90 km. In the U.S., GMLRS-ER designates the Extended range version increased to 150 km (93 mi). Rockets use a slightly increased rocket motor size and tail-driven guidance while still containing six per pod. The system will come in unitary and AW variants and be tested through 2021 with production by 2022.