French army performs live firing exercise in Romania with LRU M270 rocket launchers.

During the "Mission Aigle" in Romania, the First Artillery Regiment of the French Army performed a live firing exercise with the LRU (Lance Roquette Unitaire - Unitary Launch Rocket) with the launch of real rockets. The LRU is a French version of the American M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System)
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French army conducted a live firing exercise with its LRU M270 rocket launchers deployed in Romania in the framework of the "Mission Aigle". (Picture source French Army)

The AIGLE mission of the French army consists of a Battle Group Forward Presence (BGFP), an Air MAMBA SAMP/T detachment, an engineer detachment, and a National Support Element (ESN). A Senior National Representative (SNR) ensures national control over the use of these detachments and oversees their integration into Romanian defense plans.

The French forces deployed for the "Mission Aigle" involved one company of Leclerc Main Battle Tanks, one infantry company equipped with VBCI wheeled IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), a battery of LRU (French version of the American M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System).

On February 28, 2022, just four days after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, the armies deployed the "Spearhead" battalion of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force as part of the AIGLE mission. The battalion was established in Constanta, a city on the shores of the Black Sea, in southeastern Romania, on very short notice, allowing for the deployment of a force of over 500 soldiers in just a few days.

The Spearhead Battalion is NATO's rapid reaction force alert battalion. It was deployed to the Mihail Kogalniceanu base on the shores of the Black Sea, about 100 kilometers south of the Ukrainian border, as part of the deployment of the NATO Response Force.

On March 9, 2022, the French deployment was reinforced by 300 Belgian soldiers, which made it possible to form the multinational Battle Group Forward Presence (BGFP) battalion on May 1, 2022, with France as the lead nation. Since May 16, 2022, the French armies have also been deploying the latest generation surface-to-air defense system MAMBA and its Defense Management Center in the 3rd dimension (CMD 3D) in Romania.

Finally, on August 3, 2022, a company of 80 Dutch paratroopers joined the AIGLE mission by integrating the BGFP to replace the Belgian contingent.

The LRU is a French version of the American-made M270 MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System). (Picture source French army)

The LRU (Lance Roquette Unitaire – Unitary Launch Rocket) is the American-made M270 MLRS (Multiple Rocket Launcher System) in service with the French Army. The vehicle is based on the tracked chassis of the Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). The LRU has a crew of three including a commander, gunner, and driver.

France has also donated three LRU rocket launchers to Ukraine, which are now deployed with the Ukrainian armed forces to fight Russian troops.

The LRU is a modernized version of the American M270 equipped with a new firing control system and able to fire new types of guided rockets. According to open-source information, a total of 13 LRUs are currently in service with the French Army.

The LRU design consists of two main parts with the crew cab at the front and the launcher pod mounted at the rear of the tracked chassis. The rocket launcher station includes two pods of 6 rockets. The vehicle can fire the new M31 GPS-guided rocket which has a circular error probability of fewer than 10 m and a maximum firing range of 70 km.