Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
Northrop Grumman to fulfil full GMLRS rocket motor production
Northrop Grumman has delivered 15,000 motors and 20,000 warheads for GMLRS rockers. (Photo: US Army)
Northrop Grumman's rocket motors for the GMLRS rounds used by HIMARS and MLRS artillery systems use insensitive munition technology for additional safety,
Northrop Grumman will assume production of insensitive munition rocket motors for the US Army’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), fulfilling the full contract production quantity. The company recently delivered its 15,000th rocket motor and 20,000th warhead to Lockheed Martin for final assembly.
'We are proactively investing in production facilities and technologies in support of producing even higher rates of rocket motors faster and more affordably to meet our customer’s anticipated demand,' said Jim Kalberer, VP of missile products, Northrop Grumman. 'We are leveraging our capacity and modern manufacturing facilities to deliver critical military needs.'
The propulsion systems, once delivered to Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, final assembly facility, will be integrated into GMLRS missiles.
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Northrop Grumman's safety-enhancing insensitive munition technology provides the system with structural integrity under conditions such as heat, shock and adjacent detonations. The ignition safety device further improves the weapon system’s safety characteristics by preventing unwanted combustion.
GMLRS rockets are fired by both the HIMARS and MLRS launcher systems. Shephard Defence Insight lists Bahrain, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Romania, Singapore, the UAE and the UK as international customers for the munitions, and estimates the unit cost of GMLRS at $121,000.
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