Previous vehicleBack to index pageNext vehicle M270 (MLRS)  

 

M270A1 (MLRS) (Front view, left side)

 
 

Front view, left side 

Picture courtesy of Henrik Clausen, Copenhagen

 

Danish Army Specific: Late 1995 the Danish Army ordered 8 MLRS, with ammunition worth 662 mill. DKr, planned to serve Danish Division. Further 4 launchers is planned implemented at Eastern Land Command. To support the launchers 44 ammunitions-trucks with trailers and supply- and maintenance-vehicles will be bought.
The MLRS will replace 155 and 203 mm howitzers delivered through the
MDAP after WW II. The system, with initial deliverance of 4 launchers, was implemented 26 of October 1998.
The opening stage called for the "A1"-version, but due to delay in deliverance the older M270 was obtained. The launchers were planned up-graded to a British specification worked out by the UK MOD.
The purchase of the MLRS was part of a larger replacement of equipment. The
Green Archer artillery locating radar will be superseded by a new system by Erichsson Radar, Norway called "ARTHUR", and to gather information by electronic means a UAV system will be purchased.
With the Defence Agreement 2005 - 2009 made in 2004, it was decided that the MLRS no longer would be a part of the inventory of the Danish Army.
After been kept in storage a sale finally came through in late 2013, when a deal was struck with Finland about the purchase of all 12 launchers. The launchers will be used for drivers training only, and not for operational use as the fire control computers have been removed prior to sale.. 
Historical
: The lightly armoured self-propelled rocket artillery system, build by Lockheed Martin Vought Systems in USA, is a stretched version of the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The launcher is a highly automated self-loading and self-aiming system. It contains a fire control computer that integrates the vehicle and rocket launching operations. The rockets can be fired individually or in ripples of two to twelve. Accuracy is maintained in all firing modes because the computer re-aims the launcher between rounds. The MLRS launcher operates by day and night and in all weather conditions. The purpose of the MLRS launch system is to engage and defeat tube and rocket artillery, air defence concentrations, trucks, light armour and personnel carriers, as well as support troop and supply concentrations. The MLRS crew can emplace the launcher, fire a mission and leave the firing site without leaving the cab. The cab also protects the crew from chemical, biological and radiological warfare agents.
The fire control computer allows firing missions to be carried out either manually or automatically. The computer prompts the crew step by step through each successive operation, and constantly checks the condition of mission-critical functions. In both manual and automatic mode, the crew has full control over the launch sequence. In a typical fire mission, a command post transmits the selected target data directly to the MLRS launcher's computer. When activated, the computer aims the launcher and prompts the crew to arm and fire a pre-selected number of rounds. Multiple mission sequences can be pre-programmed and stored in the computer.
Mounted on the rear of the vehicle hull, the launcher loader module consists of a base, turret and cage. Three-man crew consists of the driver, gunner and section chief, all of whom are seated in the cab at the front of the vehicle.
The first production system was delivered to the US Army in early 1982 and as of September 1995, a total of 857 launchers have been delivered, 772 to the active Army and 185 to the National Guard.
Length: 6.97 m (271 inches).
Width: 2.97 m (116 inches).
Height: 2.61 m (102 inches).
Weight: 28.000 kg (61.600 lb.).
Armour
: N/A.
Engine
: V8-cylinder Cummins, type VTA-903T, 14.800 cm3 (903 cubic inches), turbo-charged.
Horsepower: 506 at 2.600 rpm.
Transmission: General Electric HMPT 500-3EC automatic gearbox.
Transfer case: None.
Electrical system: 24 volt, negative ground.
Brakes: Multiple plate, oil cooled.
Fording depth:
without preparation: 1.1 m (43 inches).
with deep water fording kit: N/A.
Fuel type: Diesel.
Fuel capacity: 617 liter (163 gallons).
Range: 483 km (302 miles).
Crew: 3.
Armament: The standard rocket pod comprises 6 glass fibre tubes with 227 mm rockets. The pods are loaded by the integral twin boom loader system of the launcher. Without leaving the cab the crew can within one minute launch 12 rockets (2 pods), covering an area of 500 x 500 m, at targets up to 45 km. In comparison a 155 mm howitzer would use 88 grenades, and be able to reach targets at a range of approx. 16 km.
Additional:
The launcher is air-portable by C-130 Hercules.
During Operation Desert Storm the United States deployed more than 230 MLRS, while the British deployed 16.
The system is operational in the US Army and fourteen countries have fielded or are waiting delivery of MLRS: Bahrain, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and United Kingdom.


Copyright © 1997 - 2024 Danish Army Vehicles Homepage