Soviet doctrine dictated large-scale bombardment of a target area with large numbers of truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), such as the BM-21 "Grad".

[10] This mindset began to change following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which saw heavy casualties, especially from rear-area weapons like surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).

In December 1975, the U.S. Army Missile Command issued a request for proposal to industry to assist in determining the best technical approach for the GSRS.

[11] In March 1976, the Army awarded contracts to Boeing, Emerson Electric, Martin Marietta, Northrop and Vought to explore the concept definition of the GSRS.

[12] Some 1,300 M270 systems have been manufactured in the United States and in Western Europe to date, along with more than 700,000 rockets of all kinds, including over 70,000 GMLRS guided munitions as of March 2024.

The SPLL is composed of two primary subsystems; the M269 Launcher-Loader Module (LLM) houses the electronic fire-control system and sits atop the M993 Carrier Vehicle.

However, at a two percent dud rate, that would leave approximately 400 undetonated bombs scattered over the area, which could endanger friendly troops and civilians.

Due to an Urgent Need Statement, the guided unitary round was quickly fielded and used in action in Iraq.

[20] Lockheed Martin also received a contract to convert existing M30 Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) GMLRS rockets to the XM31 unitary variant.

Due to Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance and a single 200 lb (91 kg) high-explosive warhead, the M31 could hit targets accurately with less chance of collateral damage while needing fewer rockets to be fired, reducing logistical requirements.

The M31 had a dual-mode fuse with point detonation and delay options to defeat soft targets and lightly fortified bunkers respectively, with the upgraded M31A1 equipped with a multi-mode fuse adding a proximity airburst mode for use against personnel in the open; proximity mode can be set for 3 or 10 meters (9.8 or 32.8 ft) Height of Burst (HOB).

[24] In April 2011, the first modernized MLRS II and M31 GMLRS rocket were handed over to the German Army's Artillery School in Idar Oberstein.

[12] In September 1990, the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield.

Assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, the unit played a critical role in the early defense of Saudi Arabia.

Its first use was on 18 January 1991, when Battery A of the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery fired eight ATACMS missiles at Iraqi SAM sites.

[citation needed] When ground operations began on 24 February 1991, 414 rockets were fired as the U.S. VII Corps advanced.

In March 2007, the British Ministry of Defence decided to send a troop of MLRS to support ongoing operations in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand, using newly developed guided munitions.

In September 2005, the GMLRS was first used in Iraq, when two rockets were fired in Tal Afar over 50 kilometres (31 mi) and hit insurgent strongholds, killing 48 Iraqi fighters.

[37] US President Joe Biden initially declined to send it to Ukraine,[38] but on May 31 he announced that the M142 HIMARS, another vehicle capable of firing GMLRS rockets, would be supplied.

[39] On 7 June 2022, British defence secretary Ben Wallace announced that the UK would send three (later increased to six) MLRS to aid Ukrainian forces.

The inertial navigation system is immune to jamming, but less accurate than when paired with GPS coordinates and can miss the target.

[47] The M270 system can fire MLRS Family of Munitions (MFOM) rockets and artillery missiles, which are manufactured and used by a number of platforms and countries.

The M26 rocket and its derivatives were removed from the US Army's active inventory in June 2009, as they did not satisfy a July 2008 Department of Defense policy directive, issued under President George W. Bush, that US cluster munitions that leave more than 1% of submunitions as unexploded ordnance must be destroyed by the end of 2018.

The inertial navigation system is immune to jamming, but less accurate than when paired with GPS coordinates and can miss the target.

As part of the circa £2bn Land Deep Fires Programme (LDFP), the British Army intends a large scale modernization effort of its GMLRS capability involving both a increase in the number of launchers and an expansion in the variety of effectors available.

[92][93] M270A2 will include a number of British-specific upgrades such as new composite rubber tracks, radar and video sensors, as well as the new jointly developed fire control system from the UK, US, Italy, and Finland.

An Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) program was to last 36 months, with the alternative warhead GMLRS expected to enter service in late 2016.

[101] The unitary GMLRS also has an airburst option, but while it produces a large blast and pieces of shrapnel, the AW round's small pellets cover a larger area.

The AWP warhead will have equal or greater effect against materiel and personnel targets, while leaving no unexploded ordnance behind.

[104] The fifth and final Production Qualification Test (PQT) for the AW GMLRS was conducted in April 2014, firing four rockets from a HIMARS at targets 65 kilometers (40 mi) away.