Image source: topwar.ru
At the Eurosatory 2024 defense exhibition that opened today in Paris, the American company Lockheed Martin and the German concern Rheinmetall presented a joint development. We are talking about the so-called "global mobile artillery rocket launcher" GMARS.
The creation of this technology, equipped with a dual rocket launcher, is associated with the growing global demand for systems capable of accurately hitting targets at a great distance. It will have to replace the aging MARS 2 multiple launch rocket system manufactured by Germany.
Thus, the MLRS M142 HIMARS now has a serious competitor on the European continent – GMARS.
Image source: topwar.ru
However, the new technology, the development of which began in 2023, combines HIMARS technology and the Rheinmetall HX 8x8 chassis. Since it is more powerful than the M142, the installation can carry two rocket launchers instead of one.
Image source: topwar.ru
GMARS ammunition and logistics are about 80 percent the same as HIMARS. This helps to maintain the interoperability of military equipment of NATO countries. It is assumed that the first GMARS installations will be transferred to the divisions as early as 2025.
It is capable of using various types of ammunition, including GMLRS with a range of up to 70 kilometers and ER GMLRS up to 150 km. It can also be used to fire ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers and even longer-range high-precision PrSM missiles hitting targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers.
It is also planned to modernize this installation, after which it will also be able to fire ground-based cruise missiles with a range of up to 370 km.
