Lockheed Martin’s Cutting-Edge Rocket Successfully Completes Inaugural Systems Test Flight
Lockheed Martin effectively showcased its advanced Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) during a trial at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The projectile was launched Thursday morning from the U.S. Army’s HIMARS® launcher, achieving all success benchmarks in a short-range test flight covering approximately 59 kilometers to the targeted zone.
“Our next-gen GMLRS offers adaptability for commanders, presenting a selection of munitions at extended ranges while maintaining the same reliability and accuracy that the system is renowned for,” stated Jay Price, vice president of Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Today’s accomplishment propels the ER GMLRS closer to production as we finalize the last phase of the development initiative.”
Testing validated flight path, distance, and precision from launch to impact, alongside warhead effectiveness, HIMARS compatibility, and overall missile operation.
The rocket pod additionally underwent Stockpile to Target Sequence (STS) examinations prior to launch. This process mimics the cumulative conditions the ER GMLRS will encounter in the field, from the factory to launch, ensuring the missile and launch pod container’s resilience throughout its operational lifespan.
Lockheed Martin has manufactured over 60,000 GMLRS rounds and is contracted to create more than 9,000 new unitary GMLRS and alternative-warhead rockets, including integrated logistics support for the U.S. Army and global clients. The systems are produced at the company’s Precision Fires Center of Excellence located in Camden, Arkansas.
For more than four decades, Lockheed Martin has been the premier designer and producer of long-range, surface-to-surface precision strike solutions, delivering highly dependable, combat-tested systems such as MLRS, HIMARS, ATACMS, and GMLRS to both domestic and global customers.
