M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System ( M270 MLRS ) is an American armored , self-propelled , multiple rocket launcher . The first M270s were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1983. The MLRS has since been adopted by several NATO countries . Some 1,300 M270 systems have been manufactured in the United States and in Western Europe, along with more than 700,000 rockets . Production of the M270 ended in 2003, when a last batch was delivered to the Egyptian Army . MLRS was developed in 1977–80s jointly by the United Kingdom, United States, West Germany, France and Italy, developed from the older General Support Rocket System (GSRS), and initially fielded in the late 1980s. The M270 MLRS weapons system is collectively known as the M270 MLRS Self-Propelled Loader/Launcher (SPLL). The SPLL is composed of three primary subsystems: the M269 Loader Launcher Module (LLM), which also houses the electronic Fire Control System, is mated to the M993 Carrier Vehicle. The M993 is a derivati