Lockheed Martin Gets $227Mln Contract for Guided Rocket Systems Warhead

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has received a $227 million contract to produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Unitary and Alternative Warhead for the US Army, the company announced on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The GMLRS system is an all-weather rocket that can deliver a precision strike beyond what most conventional weapons can reach, according to Lockheed Martin.

“GMLRS is a combat proven precision-strike system,” Lockheed Martin Vice President of Tactical Missiles Ken Musculus said. “We are confident that the new GMLRS Alternative Warhead will also provide reliable, highly accurate capability for our domestic and international customers.”

“GMLRS Unitary rockets greatly exceed the required combat reliability rate and have established a reputation for affordability,” the release stated.

Moreover, the Alternative Warhead is designed to engage the same targets and achieve the same area-effects requirements as the old sub-munition warheads, but without the lingering danger of unexploded ordnance, Lockheed Martin said.

Included in the contract, the release noted, is also a US government Foreign Military Sale of GMLRS Unitary rockets to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

In May, the United States expanded defense cooperation with Arab Gulf countries in a bid to re-assure them of their security in the wake of the Iran nuclear agreement.