US Army unit in Poland the first to field new rocket system

A Germany-based artillery brigade is now the first Army unit fully equipped with the service’s next-generation Multiple Launch Rocket System.

In November, soldiers with the 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany, completed the replacement of their legacy M270A1 MLRS platforms with the A2 variant, according to an Army release.

“The major difference we have seen with the M270A2 is that they are a little bit faster and more mobile,” said Capt. Kendal Peter, commander of Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st FA Brigade. “They have an improved cab that protects the soldiers which the M270A1 did not have, as well as a myriad of system upgrades that allow us to shoot faster and process missions more efficiently.”

The M270, which has been in service since the early 1980s, is a tracked system built on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle that can fire up to 12 guided rockets, four precision strike missiles or two ATACMS missiles, which have a 140-mile range.

Other improvements with the new variant include a new engine, improved armored cabs, an upgraded transmission and a new common fire control system, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The A2 variant was first used in November during Exercise Dynamic Front 25. According to the release, the new equipment improved the soldiers’ live-fire artillery missions during the NATO exercise.

“I am really looking forward to us being able to get in with our allies and execute long-range munition fires and seeing what we can do with them,” Staff Sgt. Zariah Fernandez, a platoon sergeant with Charlie Battery, said in the release.

The brigade is one of V Corps’ three permanently forward-deployed brigades.

“Being the only field artillery brigade that supports the European theater, we are the number one call when it comes to a conflict,” Peter said.

In April 2023, the Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $194 million contract for the A2 variant, as well as a $4.8 billion deal for the guided rockets.

The company is also working on an extended-range version of the guided rocket, which would more than double the rocket’s roughly 40-mile range to more than 100 miles, Defense News reported.

The M270A2 first arrived at the Army’s Red River Depot in 2022 prior to unit fielding. Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom plan to adopt the new platform, according to the release.