GMLRS: Hitting the Target in Iraq

5 November Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Hitting the Target in Iraq by Bob Cox.

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Army and Marine troops battling insurgents in the streets and urban neighborhoods of Iraq now have a potent new weapon at their disposal, thanks to the rocket scientists at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie.

A recently released video shows U.S. troops in an unidentified Iraqi city under fire from snipers in the upper floors of a three-story building. An Abrams tank fires several rounds with its heavy cannon at the building, with little or no effect on enemy fighters.

A few minutes later, an explosion rips through the building and eliminates the insurgents.

The close-quarters urban combat in Iraq is proving to be a perfect testing ground for the Army's M31 GMLRS, or guided multiple launch rocket system, missile. It's a satellite-guided weapon that, launched from more than 40 miles away, can deliver a lethal 196-pound, highly explosive warhead within a 16-foot-wide circle.

A close-up view of the Iraq video shows the missile streaking down onto almost the exact center of the building's roof before exploding on impact or a split-second after.

This "is a revolutionary capability for the Army," said Lt. Col. Mark Pincoski, program manager overseeing acquisition of the missiles at the Army's Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Ala.

Since July 2005, when the first missiles equipped with the unitary warheads were delivered to Iraq, the Army says that more than 120 have been fired in combat with a success rate of more than 95 percent...

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Excellent article about what Army and Marine Missile power can be. Better and cheaper and safer.

Field Artillery, Jul-Aug 06: The FA and COIN: Continuity and Adaptation

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...In Iraq, GMLRS unitary employment successes—100 percent direct hits—are feeding further successes. It is rapidly becoming the weapon of choice for COIN operations. In fact, GMLRS unitary’s accuracy caused one Marine to tag it his “70-kilometer sniper.”...

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...and The FA is Alive and Well - In Fact, Thriving

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...Today in the CENTCOM theater, Soldiers and Marines are using the guided MLRS (GMLRS) unitary PGM in urban operations with incredible effectiveness. GMLRS unitary has no duds; minimizes collateral damage, even when fired from as far away as 70 kilometers; and can impact within 200 meters of friendly forces. Its target sets are enemy structures, light vehicles and personnel....

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The Fort Worth Star Telegram story linked above has a link to the video of the attack on the sniper position. I daresay it is a very different video than one recently shown on CNN where a sniper was killing without consequence. Great posts.

I had the distinct pleasure of employing the system in Afghanistan. It is just as good as advertised. Through judicious employment, it has a devastating effect on the insurgent system in denied areas. That is about all that can be said on NIPR.