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Lockheed Martin Provides New Precision Rocket Capability to United Kingdom MoD


WEBWIRE

DALLAS, TX,-Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] is providing the U.K. military with the latest in precision strike capability.

Three contracts, recently signed with the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD), are the first element in an incremental programme worth more than £250 million, and will provide U.K. forces with the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, upgrade kits, spares and support, including12 MLRS M270B1 launcher upgrades and Guided Unitary rockets.

The highly accurate, mobile rocket system gives U.K. troops a new degree of accuracy over long distance, offering precision strike capability to beyond 60 kilometres. The first new launchers have been delivered and training and testing of the new system and rockets is under way in the U.K. and U.S., respectively.

“With the M270B1 launcher and the unitary rockets, the MoD has achieved a tremendous precision strike capability,” said Reggie Grant, director – U.K. launchers at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The combination of launcher and munition will considerably enhance the effectiveness of artillery fire in support of combat operations.”

The Guided Unitary rockets combine a unitary warhead with a multi-mode fuse, enabling troops to engage targets with pin-point accuracy in complex environments. The GMLRS rocket is the latest addition to the MLRS family of munitions. GMLRS is an all-weather, precision-guided rocket that provides increased accuracy, thus reducing the number of rockets necessary to defeat current targets by as much as 80 percent. GMLRS provides increased precision and maneuverability, and can be fired from both the MLRS M270A1 launcher and the HIMARS launcher.

The launcher and its munitions are designed to enable troops to engage and defeat artillery, air defence concentrations, trucks, light armour and personnel carriers, as well as support troop and supply lines. The MLRS M270B1 launcher can move away from the area at high speed following missile launch and can be transported to and from conflicts using NATO cargo aircraft. Similar units have been in operation with the U.S. Army since 2002.

Lockheed Martin U.K., a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader in systems integration working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin works with more than 100 business partners and employs over 1500 people at 15 sites across the UK.



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