MLRS Systems

[Waylander]

It is especialy bad when you find out later it was your own guys shooting at you...

Since MLRS systems are supposed to be cheap, guidance is not featured on any of them yet. I wonder if it would be too expensive to give them a simple IR-seeker? A rain of 100mm warheads on the engine deck of most tanks would be crippling.

Arrgh. :lul
There is a saying here in Germany. The artillery does not know friend or foe just rewarding targets...

 

[eckherl]

yes and no.

gmlrs isn't mainstream, but there is the XM30/M30 and a GPS/INS guided system was used in combat by 3rd Batt, 13th Field Artillery Regiment in Iraq.

From Def Ind daily:

The U.S. Army news service reports that unitary-warhead GMLRS rockets were fired in Tal Afar west of Mosul, destroying two separate buildings from over 50 kilometers away with zero advance warning and less collateral damage than a precision bomb. The targets were two housing complexes that had been fortified and were known to house many insurgents, based on intelligence from units in the field that have been engaged from the structure or who had made contact with the terrorists around the structure. The rockets were fired on Sept. 9 and 10, killing 48 insurgents, said Maj. Jeremy McGuire, deputy of operations, Force Field Artillery, Multi-National Corps - Iraq.

Damage to surrounding buildings was described as "almost non-existent," while the target's destruction was described as "absolute."
Col. H. R. McMaster, commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the senior American officer for the US-Iraqi offensive in Tal Afar (and see enemy operational background), has said that the physical and psychological effect the GMLRS had on the enemy was extremely valuable. The lack of any visual or audible clues made defense impossible, while its precision meant that enemy structures could be taken out without destroying large portions of the city as the Islamist paramilitary death squads were hoping.

A related battery of the 3-13th fired another six GMLRS rockets on Sept. 11, destroying the Mish'al Bridge and preventing its use for insurgent forces in the Al Anbar province in Western Iraq. This operation is described as Operation Sayaid (Hunter), and the purpose of the rocket attacks was to safely destroy the bridges so U.S. forces could force incoming and outgoing traffic through pre-set bottlenecks with checkpoints. As to the larger purpose and aims of Operation Hunter, see this post.
Other benefits of the 227mm M30 GMLRS, aside from those already demonstrated, include the fact that it cannot be grounded due to weather or communications issues; meanwhile, its guidance systems allow troops to call in effective anti-personnel "steel rain" or 196-pound unitary-warhead strikes from much closer distances, thus maintaining a better visual of their targets and allowing for needed support in closer quarters situations.

Britain has also purchased the GMLRS, though DID cannot establish whether these have arrived in Britain or been deployed to Iraq; we do not believe so at this time. For even longer-range strikes, the M270 MLRS system can switch out 6 MLRS rockets in the launcher for an ATACMS missile round.

Interesting article - thanks for sharing it.

 

[eckherl]

Arrgh. :lul
There is a saying here in Germany. The artillery does not know friend or foe just rewarding targets...

That was definetly one of my fears during the first Gulf War that we would get hit with one of our own batteries, or we would get zapped by one our attack helicopters, war can be totally SNAFU.

 

[Chino]

Is the advantage of rocket artillery over (more accurate) tube artillery greater firepower?

One rocket launcher with, say, 20 rockets, can fire all its rockets in one salvo - probably under a minute. (Like in WW2)

Say 5 such launchers are launching against the same target at the same time. 5 x 20 means 100 warheads will impact on target within ONE minute.

I think it would take 17 tubes of 155mm guns to deliver 100 rounds on target within the first one minute. (Assuming they have 3-round burst function and deliver 6-rounds per tube in the first minute.)

I don't know about the effects of artillery fire, so I wonder if being able to deliver so much ordnance so quickly is of any combat value?

 

[eckherl]

Is the advantage of rocket artillery over (more accurate) tube artillery greater firepower?

One rocket launcher with, say, 20 rockets, can fire all its rockets in one salvo - probably under a minute. (Like in WW2)

Say 5 such launchers are launching against the same target at the same time. 5 x 20 means 100 warheads will impact on target within ONE minute.

I think it would take 17 tubes of 155mm guns to deliver 100 rounds on target within the first one minute. (Assuming they have 3-round burst function and deliver 6-rounds per tube in the first minute.)

I don't know about the effects of artillery fire, so I wonder if being able to deliver so much ordnance so quickly is of any combat value?

If you need to conduct a area saturation then rockets are the way to go, cannons afford you more precision strike zones if needed. Both play a important part on the modern battlefield.

 

[eckherl]

Heres some good pictures, I just had to throw in the one of the howitzer, it`s enough to let a man know that he has nipples to.

 

[Waylander]

Aaah. Steel rain. I nearly shit my pants first time MLRS fired above me without warning.

[img=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9937/usmlrswf0.th.png]

[img=http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6656/marsfeuertid8.th.jpg]

 

[hudi82]

Any fairly modern anti-armor MLRS warhead is designed around self-guiding top-attack submunition. The Smerch anti-armor warhead is just that - 5 self-guiding top-attack sub-warheads. The rocket accuracy is around 150m at maximum range of 90km - and its more than enouth for self-guiding warhead. There was works to equip 'Grad" warheads with same system, but i think its still not in service. The thermobaric warheads can be also moderately effective against armor if used in big salvos and right cirumstances.

Please note that Smerch has various warheads ranging from HE to anti-tank submunitions to anti-tank mines. Thermodaric warheads are not very effective against armors, they are designed to defeat soft targets and I don't think that Smerch carries those loads.

 

[onslaught]

Please note that Smerch has various warheads ranging from HE to anti-tank submunitions to anti-tank mines. Thermodaric warheads are not very effective against armors, they are designed to defeat soft targets and I don't think that Smerch carries those loads.

The Russians already have the Buratino which carries all thermobaric rockets, but the range is quite short (like 3500-5000m). So isn't it possible that Russia is developing thermobaric rockets for the Smerch or even for Grad or Uragan? After all, instead of making a whole new system to carry thermobaric rockets, you could just make new rockets for your existing systems (it would be cheaper).

http://www.splav.org/en/arms/smerch/m55c.asp

Maybe the smerch does have thermobaric rockets... If something is wrong with my info, please let me know

 

[Waylander]

MLRS are ideal to use bomblets with so there is less need for thermobaric warheads against soft targets like for direct fire weapons.

 

[Chrom]

The Russians already have the Buratino which carries all thermobaric rockets, but the range is quite short (like 3500-5000m). So isn't it possible that Russia is developing thermobaric rockets for the Smerch or even for Grad or Uragan? After all, instead of making a whole new system to carry thermobaric rockets, you could just make new rockets for your existing systems (it would be cheaper).

http://www.splav.org/en/arms/smerch/m55c.asp

Maybe the smerch does have thermobaric rockets... If something is wrong with my info, please let me know

There are thermobaric warheads for all russian MLRS including Grad, Uragan and Smerch. Since early 80x thermobaric warheads are almost "must-have" for any russian weapon system.

 

[hudi82]

The Russians already have the Buratino which carries all thermobaric rockets, but the range is quite short (like 3500-5000m). So isn't it possible that Russia is developing thermobaric rockets for the Smerch or even for Grad or Uragan? After all, instead of making a whole new system to carry thermobaric rockets, you could just make new rockets for your existing systems (it would be cheaper).

I just checked, there are fuel bombs for Smerch, my bad.