The U.S. Army is launching an ambitious effort to dramatically expand production of ground launched precision rockets as questions continue to mount over shrinking American munitions stockpiles.

The service wants industry capable of supplying 133,014 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets by 2034.

According to an Army Sources Sought notice issued this week, contractors have until Sept. 1 to submit white papers explaining how they would meet the enormous production target.

The request signals that rebuilding the nation’s rocket inventory is no longer a problem Washington can afford to study indefinitely.

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The proposed schedule calls for manufacturers to produce 19,002 GMLRS rockets annually from 2028 through 2034.

Actual deliveries under the potential contract are expected to begin in February 2030, leaving industry a limited window to prepare facilities, workers, suppliers and production lines.

“The scope of the contract includes production, tooling, engineering change proposals, and supporting activities of GMLRS rockets including unitary, alternative warhead (AW), and extended range (ER) rockets,” the notice said.

That broad scope indicates the Army is seeking more than a temporary production bump.

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Lockheed Martin, the current GMLRS manufacturer, announced last year that it was expanding capacity to produce 14,000 rockets each year.

The Army’s latest objective would demand a capacity increase of nearly 36 percent beyond that already expanded production level.

Reaching the target will require dependable supplies of rocket motors, guidance components, explosives and other specialized materials.

It will also demand disciplined management because ambitious Pentagon production announcements have not always translated into functioning assembly lines or timely deliveries.

“Submissions must outline the most efficient and cost-effective methods for achieving this production rate,” the Army noted.

Industry will therefore have to show that its proposals can deliver both speed and value rather than simply presenting another expensive stack of promises and PowerPoint slides.

Previous Army attempts to expand domestic ammunition production have encountered serious setbacks.

One facility intended to manufacture components for 155mm artillery shells failed to produce any parts, offering an embarrassing warning about the difference between announcing capacity and actually building usable munitions.

GMLRS rockets are fired by the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, an armored platform designed to deliver concentrated firepower.

They can also be launched from the smaller M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, better known as HIMARS, which is mounted on a wheeled truck.

The standard GMLRS rocket has a range of approximately 70 kilometers, allowing forces to strike important targets well beyond the reach of conventional tube artillery. The extended range version can reach up to 150 kilometers, providing commanders with greater operational flexibility.

Lockheed Martin had delivered 75,000 GMLRS rockets to the U.S. Army by 2024, but even that substantial figure has not satisfied growing demand.

Modern conflicts consume precision weapons quickly, especially when allies are drawing from the same industrial base that must replenish American inventories.

The rocket system was originally designed during the Cold War to unleash overwhelming firepower against a possible Soviet assault in Europe.

Decades later, the M270, HIMARS and their guided rockets emerged as some of the most consequential Western weapons supplied during the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces used GMLRS rockets to strike Russian command posts, ammunition depots, supply facilities and troop formations.

Their accuracy and mobility made the launchers dangerous battlefield assets, forcing Russian units to adjust logistics and move valuable headquarters farther from the front.

Ukraine also used HIMARS to strike a power plant inside Russia last September.

However, intense Russian jamming against the rockets’ GPS guidance eventually reduced their effectiveness, demonstrating that even advanced precision weapons face constant electronic warfare challenges.

Deliveries to Ukraine, combined with a protracted conflict involving Iran, have reduced American stocks of GMLRS rockets and other guided munitions.

Replenishing those inventories has become increasingly urgent as military planners confront simultaneous demands in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo Pacific.

A shortage of rocket motors has further complicated the effort, exposing the fragility of a production system allowed to shrink after the Cold War.

The Army’s new request is a serious step, but contractors will now have to prove that American industry can turn aggressive production goals into rockets ready for combat.

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