Finland To Upgrade Entire M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System Fleet
Finland’s defense ministry has announced that all 41 of the Finnish Army’s M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems will be upgraded to M270A2 specification.
The 22 December announcement was made following defense minister Antti Häkkänen’s approval of the upgrade program. The upgrade work will be conducted by M270 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, with the defense ministry estimating that the upgrade program will cost 450 million euros before value added tax.
In a statement, Finnish Army Inspector of Artillery Colonel Mika Holma said that the upgrades would ensure the usability and capability of the MLRS fleet well into the 2050s, with the upgrade also allowing the upgraded MLRS to use next-generation munitions and enabling payload interoperability.
The M270A2 upgrade equips the M270 with a new Common Fire Control System shared with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), allowing the M270A2 to employ a greater range of munitions, including those currently in development like the Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
M270s receiving the M270A2 upgrade are comprehensively overhauled to “zero-time” state, with upgraded vehicles receiving a new 600 horsepower engine and transmission, as well as improved launcher mechanical systems. Also included is a new armored cab with increased interior space in addition to new energy-absorbing seats that enhance protection from mine blasts and improvised explosive devices.
Other M270 operators that are upgrading their MLRS to M270A2 specification include the United States Army, which is upgrading all 225 M270A1 launchers currently in service, and returning 160 decommissioned M270A0s to service through the upgrade program. The British Army has previously announced plans to upgrade nine of its M270s into M270A2s as part of a recapitalization of its MLRS fleet. The British Army is reportedly seeking to double its fleet of M270s, and currently has around 40 in service after receiving ex-Norwegian M270s to replace those donated by the United Kingdom to Ukraine.