M270 MLRS and M270A1 GMLRS
To provide coalition ground forces with highly lethal, responsive and precise long-range rocket and missile fires which defeat point and area targets in both urban/complex and open terrain, with minimal collateral damage, via a highly mobile responsive multiple launch system.
DESCRIPT ION
The combat-proven Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A1 is a mechanized artillery weapon system that provides the ground commander with round-the-clock, all-weather, lethal, close, and long-range precision rocket and missile fire support for joint forces, early-entry expeditionary forces, contingency forces, and modular fire brigades supporting Brigade Combat Teams.
The Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A1 is an upgraded version of the M270 launcher. The program entailed the concurrent incorporation of the Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) and the Improved Launcher Mechanical System (ILMS) on a rebuilt M993 Carrier (derivative of the Bradley Fighting
Vehicle). With the IFCS, the M270A1 can fire future munitions and the ILMS reduces system load and reload times. The M270A1 provides responsive, highly accurate and extremely lethal, surface-to-surface, close- to long-range rocket and missile fires from 15 kilometers to a depth of 300 kilometers.
It carries and fires either two launch pods containing six MLRS rockets each or two Army Tactical Missiles and is capable of firing all current and future MLRS family of rockets and missiles. It operates with the same MLRS command, control, and communications structure and has the same size crew as the M142 HIMARS. MLRS units are organic or assigned to modular fire brigades in support of Brigade Combat Teams.
Armament
The rocket packs were painted with Testor’s “Medium Field Green”. The reason they were not painted with the Gulf Armor Sand is that in the field soldiers did not waste time painting the rocket packs. They may have on the ones that came with the vehicle at the port; but the re-loads weren’t. The rubber parts of the road wheels were painted using a Testor’s “Flat Black” paint pen.
I’ve found this to be a lot easier than using a smaller brush. The hubs were painted the same Gulf Armor Sand that the rest of the body received. The tracks were painted using Testor’s “Steel” with a few drops of flat black mixed in to darken the color a bit. The Steel dries too brightly otherwise. If you have a color that you like better then go ahead and use what you like. Once the tracks were dry I went back and painted the track pads Flat Black.
After I let everything dry for a couple of days I the whole model two coats of Future floor polish to seal the paint. Then I put on the decals. You have the choice of using the decals for either the 1st Cavalry Division or the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade. I gave all the decals a coat of decal set solution too. Then the whole model was given another coat of Future and allowed to dry. Now comes the wash. I’m sort of new to the idea of doing washes so feel free to use whatever technique you like. I mixed approximately two pea sized amounts of artists’ Burnt Umber to ¾ of a baby food jar of turpentine. I’d rather have to put a couple of lighter coats on then have too much on the first one. I held the model up vertically with the front of the vehicle up.
This way when I put the wash on it would run “down” the vehicle going into the panel lines like dust and dirt being pushed by the wind as the vehicle was driven. Also pay attention to the tracks and road wheels too. Do a couple of coats of this wash then put the model down and let everything dry for at least 24 hours. I let mine dry 48 hours just to be sure. To finish up, I gave the whole model a coat of Testor’s Clear Flat Lacquer to get rid of the shine from the future. In conclusion, (finally) the Dragon 1/35 scale MLRS kit is an excellent kit. It does have a few problems; but they seem to be fairly easy to work around. With a little effort this kit can be a real showstopper.
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| MLRS 270 WEAPONS |
MLRS 270 WEAPONS
- M270 has two Launch Pod Assemblies (LPA)
- Each LPA contains 6 rockets or 1 missile
- Rocket has 644 bomblets
- Missile has 950 bomblets
MLRS 270 Armament ATACMS Missile
MLRS 270 Armament M-26 ROCKET
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