WeaponSpecs
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Lockheed Martin

GMLRS

GPS/INS-guided 227mm rocket fired from HIMARS and M270 launchers. The base M31 unitary round reaches roughly 70 km; the newer ER-GMLRS variant, approved for US Army production in May 2024, extended this to a demonstrated 150 km.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗

Data confidence Last verified 2026-07-04 ·
Stub · 11%

70

km range

227

mm gun

💲 ≈ $168,000, US$168,000 per M31 GMLRS (FY2023); export M31ER quoted at US$434,000 (FY2022).

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active · ~70,000 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

$420K – $588K

Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~25 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. Published studies put O&S anywhere from ~55% to ~70% of lifecycle cost depending on platform and method, which is why this is a band and not a single number. How we estimate this →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Competitive field

55 comparable systems from 25 other manufacturers

Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: artillery systems built by another manufacturer. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Max speed (Mach)

Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.

2 Mach
Range

Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.

70 km
Bottom 9% of artillery systems

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Caliber

Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters.

227 mm
Warhead

Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.

91 kg
Warhead type

Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.

Unitary high-explosive with multi-mode fuze (point detonation, delay or proximity airburst)
Guidance

How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.

GPS, Inertial navigation

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Unit cost

Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.

$168,000
Stronger than 81% of artillery systems
Units built

Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.

70,000
Top 2% of artillery systems

Specifications compiled from public Lockheed Martin and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-04.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the Lockheed Martin GMLRS? +

The Lockheed Martin GMLRS has a maximum range of 70 km.

How much does the Lockheed Martin GMLRS cost? +

The Lockheed Martin GMLRS has an approximate unit cost of 168,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.

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