Lockheed Martin [LMT] has received a $362 million deal from the Army to recapitalize 50 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launchers, the Pentagon said Monday.
The deal is an initial step towards the Army’s goal to eventually upgrade its fleet of 225 MLRS M270A1 and 160 previously decommissioned M270A0’s to the latest M270A2 iteration.
“This investment to upgrade the MLRS launcher fleet reflects our customers continued confidence in our ability to provide a combat-proven precision strike system from the ground up,” Gaylia Campbell, vice president of precision fires and combat maneuver systems for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a statement.
The recapitalized MLRS launchers will be delivered in “as-new” condition and are expected to be used by the Army through 2050, according to Campbell.
Lockheed Martin will work with Red River Army Depot in Texas to outfit the weapons with “zero time” launcher technology, new engines, transmissions, launcher-loader modules, improved armored cabs and a new common fire control system, according to company officials.
The launchers are used to fire Guided MLRS rockets and Army Tactical Missile System missiles, both build by Lockheed Martin, and are expected for use with the future Precision Strike Missile.