The production of ER GMLRS with a longer range than M30 GMLRS for HIMARS and M270 MLRS of the U.S. Army has begun. Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract worth $200 million in FY2024 to produce 240 ER GMLRS units, as reported by Defense News. ER GMLRS is further developing the M30 GMLRS with an enlarged rocket motor and control section. The larger rocket motor provides a range of 150 km, slightly more than double that of the M30 GMLRS. The new rocket is compatible with HIMARS and M270 MLRS systems.
The new rocket, alongside the PrSM SRBM to succeed ATACMS, will form the latest generation of the U.S. Army's artillery rocket systems.
The new rockets will gradually fill the gap left by the GMLRS aid to Ukraine, frequently using unitary and shelved submunition variants of the artillery rocket against Russia. The artillery munition aid of the U.S. also includes ATACMS TBMs and GLSDB ground-launched GBU-39 bombs.
