US approves $395 million upgrade of Finland’s M270 rocket launchers

BERLIN — The U.S. government has approved the upgrade of Finland’s M270 multiple-launch rocket systems, a contract that would be worth up to $395 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in an Aug. 1 statement.

Upgrading the vehicles to the M270A2 standard would include modernized communications systems, machine gun mounts and kits for the integration of a battle management system. Additionally, a new 600 horsepower engine, fire control system and improved armored cab would be installed, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told Defense News.

The modifications would allow the launchers to fire “next-gen munitions including ER GMLRS and PrSM,” the company spokesperson said, referring to Extended-Range GMLRS munitions and the company’s Precision Strike Missile. The only other system with this capability is HIMARS, according to the company.

Work is set to be completed at Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, plant.

The U.S. State Department’s approval, conveyed to Congress via the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, is a legal requirement for deals under the Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program to go forward.

Finland has purchased a total of 40 M270 launchers over the past sixteen years, according to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. An initial 22 were bought from the Netherlands in 2007 and the fleet expanded in 2014 with the purchase of six systems from the U.S. and 12 for training from Denmark.

First produced in the 1980s, the weapon consists of an armored, self-propelled multiple-rocket launcher that can fire a variety of munitions. According to the Finnish government, it can fire up to 12 rockets per minute at targets up to 400 kilometers away.

Aside from the U.S., several Western countries use the M270, including NATO countries like France, Germany and the U.K.

Spurred by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland became the newest member of the alliance in April. The country shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia and maintains a capable army with universal male conscription.

Linus Höller is Defense News' Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

柏林——美国国防安全合作局在8月1日的一份声明中表示，美国政府已批准升级芬兰的M270多管火箭炮系统，该合同价值高达3.95亿美元。

洛克希德·马丁公司发言人告诉《防务新闻》，将这些车辆升级到M270A2标准将包括现代化通信系统、机枪架和用于集成作战管理系统的套件。此外，还将安装一台新的600马力发动机、火控系统和改进型装甲驾驶室。

公司发言人表示，改进后的发射器将能够发射“包括增程型GMLRS和PrSM在内的新一代弹药”，这里指的是增程型GMLRS弹药和该公司的精确打击导弹。据该公司称，目前唯一具备这种能力的系统是HIMARS。

位于阿肯色州卡姆登的洛克希德·马丁工厂的工作即将完成。

美国国务院通过国防安全合作局向国会提交的批准，是国防部对外军售计划下交易得以进行的法律要求。

根据联合国常规武器登记册，芬兰在过去十六年中共购买了40套M270火箭炮。其中22套于2007年从荷兰购入，2014年又从美国购入6套，并从丹麦购入12套用于训练，芬兰的火箭炮数量因此得到扩充。

该武器于上世纪80年代首次研制，由一辆装甲式自行多管火箭炮组成，可发射多种弹药。据芬兰政府称，它每分钟最多可向400公里外的目标发射12枚火箭弹。

除了美国之外，包括法国、德国和英国在内的几个西方国家也使用M270步枪。

受俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰的刺激，芬兰于4月成为该联盟的最新成员。芬兰与俄罗斯接壤，拥有1340公里的边境线，并维持着一支精锐军队，实行男性普遍征兵制。

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。