Trumpeter Military Models 1/35 German M270/A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (New Tool) Kit

The tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) was introduced by the US Army in 1982, and it gained fame during Operation Desert Storm (the 1991 Gulf War). The MLRS fires guided and unguided rockets from its interchangeable pod system out to a range of 42km, or to a range of up to 300km in the case of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). The MLRS was popular internationally too, with some 1,300 systems produced for 17 countries. The MLRS was later upgraded and this resulted in the M270A1, with the US Army beginning to convert to the improved type in 2002. The M270A1 features an Improved Fire Control System (IFCS), embedded GPS/inertial navigation system and Improved Launcher Mechanical System (ILMS). The result is faster launch procedures (e.g. just three minutes to reload, and an 83% reduction in aim time) and the ability to fire new munitions such as GPS-guided rockets. Lockheed Martin’s M270A1 weighs 24,756kg and it operates with a crew of three.