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Almost Five Billion For HIMARS And M270: How Many GMLRS Can Be Manufactured With These Funds

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GMLRS missile / Credits: Lockheed Martin
GMLRS missile / Credits: Lockheed Martin

The war in Ukraine showed the high efficiency of high-precision GMLRS missiles

The United States wants to increase the production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles, and Lockheed Martin has received another contract to produce these munitions: the relevant information is published on the website of the US Department of Defense.

Almost Five Billion For HIMARS And M270: How Many GMLRS Can Be Manufactured With These Funds, Defense Express, war in Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian war
GMLRS launch / Credits: Rick Rzepka, U.S. Army

Thus, GMLRS manufacturer received a contract for the production of Lot 18 and Lot 19 batches of high-precision munitions for the HIMARS: a deal worth $ 4.791 billion three years long with an estimated cost of completion on October 30, 2026.

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Taking into account that as of 2023, one GMLRS missile costs $168,000, then it is about several tens of thousands of missiles that the company has to produce over this time.

The contract for a serious amount was signed after large-scale plans of the US to increase the production of ammunition in general and GMLRS in particular: it was previously reported about plans to reach a production rate of 14 thousand missiles per year by 2024, with today's maximum of 10 thousand.

However, this process will not be easy, because the company is experiencing a shortage of machine tools and testing equipment, as well as difficulties in finding specialists: currently the plant works only in one shift, despite the fact that it can work in two.

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