The Army awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $331.8 million contract for Lot 11 production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, the company said Wednesday.
Under the contract terms Lockheed Martin will produce GMLRS Alternative Warhead rockets, Unitary rockets, and Reduced-Range practice Rockets (RRPRs) for the U.S. Marine Corps as well as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Israel, Finland, Jordan, and Singapore.
The GMLRS is an all-weather precision rocket designed for quick deployment that launches from beyond the reach of most conventional weapons. The company highlighted the GMLRS Alternative Warhead (AW) was the first munition, complying with Defense Department cluster munitions policy, developed to service area targets without resulting in unexploded ordnance.
GMLRS Unitary rockets “greatly exceed the required combat reliability rate and have established a reputation for affordability,” Lockheed Martin said. The RRPRs allow for training with realistic and full-motored rockets with limited flight range.
During combat operations the GMLRS rocket is packaged in an MLRS launch pod and is fired by the HIMARS or M270 launcher family.
“Our domestic and international customers continue to display their confidence in this combat-proven system by placing orders for the family of MLRS munitions, including the new GMLRS Alternative Warhead round,” Ken Musculus, vice president of tactical missiles at Lockheed Martin’s missiles and fire control business area, said in a statement.
GMLRS was first established as an international cooperative program formed by the U.S. France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Additional international customers include Japan, Bahrain, Finland, Israel, Jordan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.
Contract work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Ark., and Dallas facilities with deliveries set to be finished by March 2018.