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LIMAWS(R) awaits green light
Thursday, 13 September, 2007
Lockheed Martin UK INSYS is expected to be awarded a contract by DESo for the Demonstration and Manufacture (D&M) of the British Army’s Lightweight Mobile Artillery Weapon System (Rocket). Under the D&M phase, a total of four pre-production systems will be built for trials including launching the latest Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) that is already being acquired by the UK.
These are for the upgraded M270B1 full-tracked MLRS, a troop of which has recently been deployed to Afghanistan. The M270B1 is also fitted with the Universal Fire Control System (UFCS) that will be fitted to future LIMAWS(R)s. The four pre-production systems will be followed by a total of 20 production LIMAWS(R)s.
The four preproduction systems will eventually be brought up to a full production standard. In addition to firing the very accurate GMLRS (with a maximum range of 70km), it could also fire the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a much longer range and could well be acquired by the UK in the future. Phases One and Two of LIMAWS(R) have been completed, with the latter covering an assessment part under which a prototype launcher was designed and built but not fitted with a UFCS. This launcher was put through an intensive series of trials, during which eight representative unguided rockets were fired.