Lockheed to develop modular pod for GMLRS rockets
Lockheed Martin has received a $10.5 million contract from the US Army to develop a new modular pod for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, the company announced on 15 May.
The new pods will be compatible with both the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and MLRS M270 family of launchers, and will replace the depleting inventory of M26 rocket pods.
The modular pod is designed to allow for reloading of individual rocket tubes as they are expended, whereas the original GMLRS pods are discarded after use. The pod will be able to fire the GMLRS Unitary and Alternative Warhead variants, as well as the developmental Extended-Range GMLRS rockets and future rounds.
Ground testing will begin in the fall of 2019, with a planned flight test before the end of the year. The first deliveries of the new modular pod are anticipated in the fall of 2021.
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