By Sgt. Michael J. Carden and Pfc. Matthew Clifton

A precision-guided missile was fired during its first test-fire outside of the U.S. recently near Tikrit, Iraq. The Guided MLRS Unitary rocket is the latest addition to the U.S. Army's artillery arsenal and is designed to minimize collateral damage. The GMLRS was just used for the first time in actual combat at Tal Afar. Spc. Alisan Gul

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Sept. 23, 2005) — The newest addition to the Army’s artillery arsenal was successfully fired this month during Operation Restoring Rights in Tal Afar, Iraq, and Operation Sayaid in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province.

The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System destroyed two insurgent strongholds from a distance of more than 50 kilometers away. Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment fired eight guided rockets in Tal Afar Sept. 9 and 10, killing 48 insurgents, said Maj. Jeremy McGuire, deputy of operations, Force Field Artillery, Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

Battery A, 3-13 FAR fired another six rockets Sept. 11, destroying the Mish’al Bridge and preventing its use for insurgent forces in the Al Anbar province in Western Iraq, McGuire added.

Battery tests GMLRS Unitary rockets

Last month B Battery, 3/13th FAR conducted the first in-theater tests of GMLRS Unitary rockets, according to Lockheed Martin. These rockets were designed to greatly reduce collateral damage by providing enhanced accuracy up to 70 kilometers away, according to the defense contractor.

When the GMLRS was used in Tal Afar Sept. 9 and 10, damage to surrounding buildings was almost non-existent and the target’s destruction was absolute, said Capt. Robert J. Hannah, 3-13th FAR.

“This system is something the artillery community has been working on for some time,” McGuire said. “It was tested in the continental United States, and now we’ve demonstrated in Iraq that we’re extremely effective with it.

Precision has psychological effects

“We can be accurate, we can be lethal and we can also have a very low collateral damage estimate,” McGuire said. “We can engage the target without compromising the safety of the civilians nearby and also take out the terrorists or insurgencies that engage our forces.”

Operation Restoring Rights’ senior U.S. officer, Col. H. R. McMaster, commander, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, weighed in on the combat effectiveness of the new system. “The GMLRS proved itself in combat in Tal Afar and provided the regiment with tremendous capability. It not only was able to hit enemy positions with a great deal of precision, but was able to limit collateral damage.”

The physical and psychological effect the system had on the enemy in Tal Afar – who was trying either to successfully defend against an attack or goad the Coalition into destroying large portions of the city – was extremely valuable, McMaster said.

GMLRS better than smart bombs?

The first GMLRS weapons arrived at Fort Sill, Okla., about 18 months ago and 3rd Battalion, 13th FA Regiment has been training with the system since June 2004. GMLRS was designed to reduce the amount of collateral damage in combat, giving commanders on the ground the ability to take out a terrorist or insurgent target accurately and effectively without creating the excess damage other artillery and air-dropped munitions may cause, McGuire said.

“This (system) allows ground commanders to precisely attack small targets, even in an urban environment, with even lower collateral damage than precision bombs used by the U.S. Air Force,” said Hannah.

If the aircraft are unable to support a mission because of communication or weather issues, ground commanders will still have access to the new MLRS system, which provides the same capabilities as the air power, McGuire said.

Urban combat requires precision

Before sending ground troops into Tal Afar during Operation Restoring Rights, there were a number of buildings that needed to be destroyed in preparation. Two separate targets were successfully destroyed by the guided MLRS system. The missiles were fired from an area more than 50 kilometers away.

The targets were two housing complexes that had been fortified and were known to contain at least 40 insurgents, McGuire said.

“Each of the targets (was) pre-planned,” said Maj. James Daniels, Regimental Fire Support Officer, 13th FAR. “Before we fire on a target, we have to prove the structure is linked to the insurgency, using intelligence from units in the field that have been engaged from the structure or have made contact with the terrorists around the structure.”

Troops on the ground engaging the enemy will also benefit from the missile system’s small blast radius and effectiveness, improving their survivability and safety. The troops will be able to maneuver closer toward their aggressors to maintain a better visual of their targets, said Sgt. 1st Class Paul Luketich, senior fire control non-commissioned officer, FFA, MNC-I.

“Basically, it’s a safer munition for our troops and nearby civilians, but a more deadly munition for the insurgents,” Luketich said. “It’s the best munition in the arsenal today.”

‘GMLRS can save lives’

The intent of Coalition forces in combative situations is not to demolish an entire city block to eliminate a single insurgent or group of terrorists. Their intent is to purge the country of insurgency to help stabilize security and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Iraq, McGuire said.

This new missile system helps that cause dramatically, McGuire said. Commanders on the ground will have another option to engage the enemy with, allowing them to make better-informed decisions focused on the safety of innocent civilians as well as effectively countering Iraq’s insurgency, McGuire said.

“We’re engaging terrorists who are reckless and have no regard for civilian life, as they have demonstrated day-in and day-out,” McGuire said. “It’s very difficult for us to make the population believe that our choice is the best.

“It’s very important that we’ve come up with this weapon. It will help the commanders make the call that will not only accomplish the mission and keep the population safe, but rid the country of terrorists as well.”

(Editor’s note: Sgt. Michael J. Carden and Pfc. Matthew Clifton write for Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Information used in their story was provided by the 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and a Lockheed Martin release.)

from http://www.army.mil