IRIA News

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The U.S. Army is seeking to significantly expand production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, targeting more than 133,000 rounds by 2034 as it works to replenish stocks depleted by deliveries to Ukraine and sustained military operations.

The Army issued a sources-sought notice this week seeking industry proposals to produce 133,014 GMLRS rockets. Companies have until September 1, 2026, to submit white papers outlining how they could meet the required production levels.

The plan calls for production of 19,002 rockets annually from 2028 through 2034, with the first deliveries expected in February 2030. The planned expansion would mark a substantial increase over current production capacity and reflects growing pressure on the U.S. defense industrial base to replenish precision-guided munitions while maintaining supplies for ongoing and potential future conflicts.

The Army’s notice covers several GMLRS variants, including unitary warheads, alternative warheads, and extended-range rockets. “The scope of the contract includes production, tooling, engineering change proposals, and supporting activities of GMLRS rockets including unitary, alternative warhead (AW), and extended range (ER) rockets,” the notice said.

The service is asking potential contractors to identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach the targeted production rate. Lockheed Martin, the current GMLRS manufacturer, announced in 2025 that it was expanding its production capacity to 14,000 rockets annually. Meeting the Army’s new target would require production to rise by almost 36% above that level.

The proposed program also underscores the Army’s growing focus on industrial capacity. Producing large quantities of precision weapons requires not only assembly facilities but also specialized components, tooling, engineering support and a reliable supply of rocket motors.

Efforts to increase U.S. munitions production have faced difficulties. A facility intended to manufacture components for 155mm artillery shells, for example, failed to produce parts, highlighting some of the challenges involved in rapidly expanding defense manufacturing.

GMLRS’s Battlefield Priority

GMLRS rockets are designed for use with the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and the truck-mounted M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, better known as HIMARS. The standard GMLRS has a range of about 70 kilometers, while the extended-range variant can reach approximately 150 kilometers.

The weapons were originally developed during the Cold War, when U.S. planners anticipated the possibility of a large-scale conflict in Europe. Their operational importance has since expanded considerably.

GMLRS became one of the most prominent U.S.-supplied precision weapons used by Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian forces have used HIMARS and M270 launchers to strike command posts, ammunition and supply depots and concentrations of Russian troops.

The systems have allowed Ukrainian forces to conduct precision strikes against targets well behind the front lines, making them an important component of Ukraine’s long-range fires capability.

Ukraine has also used HIMARS against targets inside Russian territory. In one reported case, the system was used to strike a thermal power facility in Russia’s Belgorod region.

The battlefield experience has also exposed limitations. Russian electronic warfare has increasingly targeted the GPS guidance used by GMLRS rockets, reducing their effectiveness in some circumstances.

Stockpiles Under Pressure

The Army’s planned production increase comes as U.S. inventories of GMLRS and other precision-guided munitions face pressure from years of operational demand.

Large quantities of weapons have been transferred to Ukraine as part of U.S. military assistance, while the U.S. has also expended significant numbers of guided munitions during its military campaign against Iran. The combination has increased the need to rebuild inventories while ensuring sufficient stocks remain available for U.S. forces.

The Army had received about 75,000 GMLRS rockets from Lockheed Martin by 2024. Despite that production, demand for the weapons has remained high.

The new requirement suggests the Army is planning for a prolonged period of elevated demand rather than relying solely on existing inventories and current production rates.

The challenge extends beyond final assembly. The U.S. defense industry has faced shortages of solid rocket motors, an essential component for missiles and rockets, creating another potential constraint on efforts to expand production.

Long-Term Industrial Capacity

The GMLRS plan is part of a broader effort to expand U.S. weapons production after recent conflicts exposed vulnerabilities in the defense industrial base.

Modern militaries require large stocks of precision munitions for high-intensity warfare, and recent conflicts have demonstrated how quickly those inventories can be consumed.

The war in Ukraine has provided a particularly clear example. High rates of artillery and missile expenditure have forced the United States and its allies to reconsider assumptions about how many precision weapons are needed for a major conflict.

The Army’s planned production rate of 19,002 GMLRS rockets a year would provide a substantially larger flow of weapons once deliveries begin. However, the first deliveries are not scheduled until 2030, meaning the expansion will take several years to translate into additional inventory. The requirement also puts pressure on industry to increase capacity without compromising reliability or cost.

The main objective of the U.S. Army is not just to produce more rockets but also to establish a supply chain capable of sustaining high production rates over an extended period while supporting multiple variants of the weapon.

Demand Extends Beyond Ukraine

The continued importance of GMLRS reflects a broader shift in the role of precision fires in modern warfare. HIMARS and M270 launchers have become central to long-range ground operations because they can rapidly engage targets at significant distances while remaining mobile.

Their use in Ukraine has also influenced how militaries assess the value of mobile rocket artillery and precision-guided ammunition.

At the same time, the U.S. military’s experience has shown that advanced weapons must be supported by sufficient quantities of ammunition. A highly capable launcher has limited value if its munitions cannot be produced quickly enough to sustain operations.

That concern is increasingly shaping U.S. procurement decisions. The Army’s 133,014-rocket requirement therefore represents more than a single procurement effort. It reflects an attempt to rebuild inventories, expand production capacity, and prepare the industrial base for sustained demand for precision ground-launched weapons.

According to IRIA defense experts, the planned expansion also illustrates a wider lesson from recent conflicts: maintaining technological superiority requires not only advanced weapons but the industrial capacity to produce them at scale.

With proposals due September 1, and production planned to reach 19,002 rockets annually from 2028, the Army is now seeking industry solutions capable of turning that requirement into a long-term manufacturing program.

The effort will ultimately depend on whether manufacturers can overcome constraints involving production facilities, specialized components and rocket motors while delivering the volume of weapons required by the Army.

The scale of the planned purchase indicates that Washington expects precision-guided ground fires to remain a major requirement well into the next decade.