Global Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Market Size, Share and Forecasts 2031

Key Findings

• Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) combine rocket artillery range with precision guidance to provide long-range, high-volume, and low-collateral fires for modern maneuver warfare.

• Adoption has accelerated as militaries prioritize precision fires for counter-area suppression, counter-UAS strike, interdiction of logistics nodes, and standoff engagement of high-value targets.

• Key capability drivers include precision guidance kits (GPS/INS/seeker), modular warhead options (unitary, blast-fragmentation, anti-armor), and extended-range propulsion packages.

• Networked targeting with real-time C2, UAV-fed targeting, and sensor-to-shooter links increases mission tempo and effectiveness of GMLRS salvoes.

• Export demand upticks and allied interoperability programs (NATO-standard rockets and launchers) create recurring volume and aftermarket service opportunities.

• Industrial scaling, agile production lines, and emphasis on surge manufacturing shorten replenishment timelines after sustained operations.

• The emergence of guided rockets with reduced logistics footprint and containerized launcher options expands GMLRS applicability across land, maritime, and expeditionary forces.

GMLRS Market Size and Forecast

The global Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System market was valued at USD 6.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 14.5 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period. Procurement is driven by modernization of mechanized and artillery forces, demand for precision munitions to reduce collateral damage, and stockpile replenishment after recent high-tempo conflicts.
In addition to hardware (launchers and rockets), the market’s revenue mix increasingly includes guidance kits, warhead variants, training rounds, logistics support, and mid-life upgrade kits. Governments prioritize domestic industrial participation and secure supply chains, prompting local assembly, licensed production, and long-term support contracts. As doctrines evolve toward distributed fires and sensor-shooter loops, demand for guided MLRS munitions and modular launcher architectures will broaden across NATO, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and selected African nations pushing both unit volumes and average selling prices higher for advanced guided variants.

Market Overview

GMLRS are precision-guided rockets launched from standard MLRS/TBM platforms (wheeled or tracked), offering ranges from tens to over one hundred kilometers depending on variant. They bridge the gap between tube artillery and tactical missiles by delivering massed fires with precision guidance, enabling salvo suppression, counter-battery, and deep interdiction with reduced collateral risk. Modern GMLRS families include variants with inertial/GNSS guidance, advanced seekers for terminal homing, extended-range propulsion modules, and programmable fuzes. The market comprises prime system vendors, propulsion and warhead specialists, guidance-electronics suppliers, and integrators providing launcher-to-command-system interoperability.

Future Outlook

Over the next decade, the GMLRS market will shift toward longer-range guided rockets, multi-effect warheads, and greater modularity allowing a single rocket type to accept mission kits (e.g., anti-armor, cargo/area denial, sensor-delivery) tailored by commanders in the field. Integration with multi-domain sensor networks (UAVs, space-based ISR, acoustic arrays) will shorten target cycles and increase salvo effectiveness. Industrially, rapid production lines, digital twin qualification, and additive manufacturing for non-critical components will reduce lead times and unit costs. Export-driven production, allied interoperability programs, and doctrinal emphasis on distributed fires will sustain strong demand and encourage diversification of the supplier base.

GMLRS Market Trends

• Precision-First Doctrine and Collateral-Minimization Requirements
  Modern rules of engagement and urban combat scenarios prioritize munitions that achieve effects without unacceptable collateral damage. GMLRS rockets with high-accuracy guidance and selectable fuzing enable forces to engage targets in complex terrain and near civilian infrastructure. Procurement specifications increasingly emphasize CEP performance, multi-mode fuzing, and battle-damage assessment integration. Militaries are replacing unguided rockets with guided variants even for legacy launchers to meet legal and political constraints on fires.

• Extended-Range and Stand-Off Variants Rising
  Operational needs to strike deeper while staying outside adversary air defenses drive investment in extended-range GMLRS variants. Improved propellant chemistry, optimized aerodynamics, and glide or boost-glide kits extend engagement envelopes. Extended-range guided rockets allow maneuver forces to interdict logistics and provide over-match without committing higher-cost tactical missiles, changing force planning and strike layer design.

• Integration With Sensor-To-Shooter Networks
  GMLRS effectiveness is multiplying as sensors (UAS, counter-UAS radar, ground sensors, space ISR) feed precise coordinates into fire-control nets. Networked strikes with automated tasking and rapid retargeting support time-sensitive targeting and mass effects through coordinated salvos. This trend increases demand for secure datalinks, launcher-C2 integration kits, and hardened battlefield communications.

• Modular Warheads And Multi-Effect Payloads
  Warhead modularity (unitary/fragmentation/thermobaric/anti-vehicle submunitions) allows a single guided rocket frame to be reconfigured for distinct mission sets. Multi-effect payloads support counter-UAS, anti-structure, or anti-personnel missions without maintaining distinct munition families. Field-reconfigurable modules and standardized interfaces reduce logistics complexity while increasing tactical flexibility.

• Export Programs And Licensed Production Partnerships
  Allied interoperability and offset requirements fuel licensed assembly and technology-transfer deals, enlarging the global supplier base. Nations often procure guided rocket systems with local production clauses, driving exports of launcher systems and rockets plus aftermarket support. This creates recurring revenue for primes via spares, training, and licensed component supply.

• Rapid Production, Surge Capacity And Industrial Resilience
  Recent conflicts highlighted the need for rapid replenishment. Suppliers are investing in flexible manufacturing cells, automation, and dual-sourcing for critical propellant and optics components. Governments are signing surge-production clauses and stockpile contracts to ensure munition availability during protracted operations. Industrial resilience is becoming a procurement requirement.

• Down-Tiered Guided Kits For Cost-Efficient Precision
  To manage cost-per-shot considerations, industry offers guided retrofit kits that convert existing unguided rockets into guided munitions. These kits extend life of stockpiles and offer precision capability at a fraction of missile costs, appealing to budget-constrained forces and enabling scaling of guided munitions in peacetime inventories.

Market Growth Drivers

• Operational Necessity for Precision Fires in Contested Environments
  The need to deliver scalable precision fires against mobile, dispersed, or high-value targets in contested environments drives demand for GMLRS. They combine massed salvo capability with precision effects critical as airspace becomes congested and permissive fire declines.

• Replenishment Cycles and High-Tempo Conflict Aftermaths
  Sustained operations deplete inventories of guided munitions, creating high-volume replenishment contracts. Defense planners now budget for steady-state munitions production rather than episodic buys, stabilizing supplier revenue streams.

• Doctrinal Moves Toward Distributed Fires and Expeditionary Use
  Doctrinal emphasis on distributed lethality and expeditionary maneuver favors containerized launchers and vehicle-mounted MLRS firing guided rockets. This expands procurement beyond heavy formations to more mobile units and allied partners.

• Technological Convergence (Guidance, Propulsion, Warhead Miniaturization)
  Advances in MEMS inertial sensors, compact GNSS anti-jam modules, energetic materials, and warhead miniaturization improve rocket performance and expand mission flexibility. These technological gains increase the market share of advanced guided rockets.

• Allied Interoperability And Coalition Procurement Programs
  NATO and coalition interoperability drives standardization of launcher interfaces and munition form factors, increasing cross-border procurement and support contracts. Joint procurement reduces unit costs and encourages common logistics chains.

Challenges in the Market

• High Unit Costs For Advanced Guided Rounds
  Advanced guidance, seekers, and multi-mode fuzes significantly raise per-unit prices versus unguided rockets. Budget pressures can limit procurement volumes for the highest-performance variants, forcing militaries to trade off between range/accuracy and affordability.

• Supply Chain Risks For Key Components
  Critical items precision IMUs, optical seekers, propellant chemicals, and specialty casings face lead time risks and export-control constraints. Single-source suppliers or country-of-origin restrictions can interrupt production pipelines.

• Countermeasure Evolution And Survivability Concerns
  Adversaries invest in GPS jamming, cyber-electronic warfare, and active protection systems that can reduce effectiveness of guided rockets. Suppliers must develop anti-jam guidance, seeker fusion, and resilience measures to maintain efficacy.

• Complex Integration And Certification Across Launcher Families
  Integrating new guided variants into multiple launcher types (tracked, wheeled, naval VLS/rigid containers) requires certification, ballistic tests, and software updates each adding time and cost. Interoperability testing across allied systems is resource-intensive.

• Escalating Export Controls And Political Risk
  Stringent export licensing and geopolitical risk can delay or block cross-border sales, complicating global business development for manufacturers. Political changes can invalidate long negotiation cycles and procurement plans.

• Logistics And Munition Lifecycle Management
  Storage, handling, demilitarization, and life-extension of guided rockets require specialized infrastructure and lifecycle programs. Airworthiness-style maintenance regimes for electronics and periodic re-certifications add operating expenses for armed forces.

• Training And Tactical Doctrine Transition
  Effective employment of GMLRS requires updated training, staff procedures, and integration into fire planning. Transitioning forces to new doctrines and targeting routines imposes human and institutional costs that slow fielding.

GMLRS Market Segmentation

By Product

• Guided Rockets & Warheads

• Launcher Systems (Vehicle-Mounted, Containerized, Naval)

• Guidance & Seeker Kits (Retrofit Solutions)

• Fire Control & C2 Integration Systems

• Training & Simulation Services

By Range

• Short to Medium Range (0–70 km)

• Extended Range (70–150+ km)

By Warhead Type

• Unitary High-Explosive

• Fragmentation / Airburst

• Anti-Armor / Tandem Charge

• Multi-Effect / Sensor-Delivery Payloads

By End User

• Army / Ground Forces

• Marine / Naval Forces

• Special Operations & Expeditionary Units

By Region

• North America

• Europe

• Asia-Pacific

• Middle East & Africa

• Latin America

Leading Key Players

• Lockheed Martin Corporation

• Raytheon Technologies Corporation

• MBDA

• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

• Kalyani Strategic Systems (and affiliates)

• Nexter Systems

• Denel Dynamics

• Hanwha Defense

• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems

• Roketsan

Recent Developments

• Lockheed Martin Corporation secured multi-year replenishment contracts and unveiled an extended-range guided rocket demonstrator with improved propulsion and glide kit options.

• Raytheon Technologies Corporation announced production-rate increases for precision-guided rockets and expanded logistics support to allied stockpiles.

• MBDA revealed a modular warhead family for guided rockets allowing rapid reconfiguration between unitary and fragmentation effects.

• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems demonstrated a new sensor-fused guided rocket variant optimized for counter-UAS and moving-target engagement.

• Hanwha Defense signed export agreements with several regional partners including assembly and maintenance offsets.

This Market Report will Answer the Following Questions

• How many Guided MLRS rockets and launcher systems are manufactured per annum globally? Who are the sub-component suppliers in different regions?

• Cost Breakdown of a Global Guided MLRS round and Key Vendor Selection Criteria.

• Where are Guided MLRS systems manufactured? What is the average margin per unit?

• Market share of Global Guided MLRS manufacturers and their upcoming products.

• Cost advantage for OEMs who manufacture Guided MLRS systems in-house.

• Key predictions for the next 5 years in the Guided MLRS market.

• Average B2B Guided MLRS market price in all segments.

• Latest trends in the Guided MLRS market, by every market segment.

• The market size (both volume and value) of the Guided MLRS market in 2025–2031 and every year in between.

• Production breakup of the Guided MLRS market, by suppliers and their OEM relationships.