On November 2, 2022, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) of the US Department of Defense sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale to Finland through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of a large batch of 2,400 GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) high-precision guided missiles manufactured by Lockheed Corporation Martin for use from the upgraded combat vehicles of the American MLRS multiple launch rocket systems in service with the Finnish army. The estimated cost of delivery will be $535 million. The sale is approved by the U.S. Department of State.
Firing a Lockheed Martin GMLRS precision guided missile from an upgraded M270D1 MLRS multiple rocket launcher combat vehicle of the Finnish Army (c) Finnish Armed ForcesAccording to the notification, 250 six-shot containers with M31A1 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) Warhead (Steel Case) missiles with a monoblock warhead and/or variants of these missiles with an improved propulsion system M31A2 GMLRS-U IMPS (Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System) (a total of 1,500 missiles) and 150 six-shot containers with M30A1 GMLRS Alternative Warhead (AW) (Steel Case) missiles with a fragmentation dissipated warhead and/or variants of these missiles with an improved M30A2 GMLRS Alternative Warhead (AW) IMPS propulsion system (a total of 900 missiles).
According to the notification, it is expected that 50% of the missiles for this purchase will be delivered from the presence of the US armed forces. This will determine the specific composition of the delivery of GMLRS missile modifications.
From the bmpd side, we point out that this purchase will probably make Finland the largest foreign recipient of GMLRS missiles, after probably Ukraine.
Earlier, Finland has already made two purchases of GMLRS missiles, contracting a total of 450 units. According to the DSCA notification dated November 2015, under the FMS agreement concluded in 2016, Finland received 240 GMLRS missiles, including 15 six-shot containers with M31A1 missiles with a monoblock warhead (90 missiles in total) and 25 six-shot containers with M30A1 missiles with an Alternative Warhead warhead (150 missiles in total). The cost of the agreement was estimated at $150 million.
In February 2021, DSCA published a notification about the planned upcoming sale to Finland of new long-range guided missiles ER GMLRS (Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) with a firing range of up to 150 km through the American FMS program. According to this notification, it is planned to supply Finland with 25 six-shot containers with XM403 ER GMLRS-AW missiles with an Alternative Warhead warhead (a total of 150 missiles) and 10 six-shot containers with XM404 ER GMLRS-U missiles with a monoblock warhead (a total of 90 missiles). The total estimated cost of delivery will be $91.2 million.
Finland became the first foreign customer of ER GMLRS missiles. Field tests of long-range missiles of the ER GMLRS series were launched by Lockheed Martin in March 2021. The start of serial production of ER GMLRS missiles for the US Army is now planned at the Lockheed Martin facility in Camden (Arkansas) from fiscal year 2023. Deliveries to Finland are expected from 2024.
In addition, in June 2012, DSCA issued a notice of the planned sale of Lockheed Martin MGM-168 M39 Block 1A ATACMS T2K tactical missiles intended for use from M270 MLRS launchers to Finland via FMS 70 with monoblock warheads and a firing range of up to 300 km. The estimated cost of delivery was estimated at $132 million. However, in 2014, Finland refused to conclude an agreement for the purchase of these 70 ATACMS missiles, citing their obsolescence.
Finland has 28 upgraded MLRS M270 MLRS (RsRakH 06) combat vehicles, of which 22 were acquired in 2006 from the presence of the armed forces of the Netherlands, and six more in 2014 from the presence of the US armed forces. There are also 12 MLRS M270 MLRS combat vehicles purchased in 2013 from the presence of the Danish Armed Forces, but the latter are used only as training.
In May 2011, Lockheed Martin Corporation received a contract worth $ 45.3 million for the modernization of 22 Finnish MLRS (former Dutch) combat systems to the M270D1 level, including the installation of a new UFCS fire Control System (Universal Fire Control System, used in the M142 HIMARS missile system), which allows the use of high-precision GMLRS and ATACMS missiles, and a device M270 launchers for the possibility of using GMLRS and ATACMS missiles. Earlier in October 2010, DSCA issued a notification about the planned delivery to Finland of 24 sets of the UFCS system and one ATACMS T2K tactical missile for testing, totaling $100 million. In 2014, six M270 combat vehicles purchased by Finland from the availability in the USA were also upgraded to the M270D1 variant.
