DVD 2026: First upgraded British Army MLRS displayed

The first British Army MLRS upgraded to the M270A2 standard displayed at DVD 2026. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)

The first British Army Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) upgraded to the M270A2 standard is displayed at the Defence Vehicle Demonstration (DVD) 2026 exhibition being held in Millbrook, UK, on 16-17 September. The first two M270A2s were delivered to the UK during a ceremony at the US Army's Red River Army Depot on 7 October 2025.

The UK has contracted the upgrade of 61 launchers and eight repair and recovery vehicles (RRVs) to the A2 configuration, with deliveries during the second half of the 2020s.

The first 14 M270A2s are in the UK and another system remains in the US for training. The first two RRVs are being completed before delivery in March-April 2027.

Approval to upgrade another 15 launchers and one RRV in addition to the ones already contracted is subject to investment decisions in 2026, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

Work on the upgrade includes installation of improved armoured cabs, as well as upgraded automotive and launch mechanism components at the Red River Depot and Lockheed Martin's facility in Camden, Arkansas. This includes tracks built in the UK.

The British Army expects the upgrades to ensure that its land deep fires capability remains strong until 2050 and that the service has the technological capability to quickly meet current and future threats. The updated launchers can fire the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which has a range of 499 km.

British Army M270s deployed in Estonia as part of the UK-led NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF) armoured battlegroup in Estonia will leave the Baltic state in March 2027 to be upgraded and will be replaced by M270A2s.

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