US approves $395 million sale of M270A2 MLRS and upgrade equipment to Finland

Europe, News, US August 5, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of the M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and equipment for upgrading the M270A1 MLRS for Finland. The sale has been approved under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Act with an estimated cost of $395 million.

The United States Defense Security Agency announced in a press release that the State Department approved the sales proposed by the Government of Finland.

The statement highlighted that the upgraded equipment includes “intercom systems; radio communication mounts; machine gun mounts; battle management system vehicle integration kit; publications for MLRS; spares; services; support equipment; and other related elements of program and logistics support.”

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the press release added.

MLRS M270 — *^{Multiple Launch Rocket System M270. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

The Finnish Defense Ministry expects to receive the M270A2 upgrades by 2027. The ministry announced that it seeks to purchase a total of 41 pieces of upgradation equipment, however, the deal is yet to be confirmed by the U.S. After the upgradation, the life cycle and the capability of Finland’s MLRS units would be extended to 2050.

M270 MLRS

Produced by the U.S.-based defense giant Lockheed Martin, the M270 is considered a smaller wheeled variant of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which has risen to fame during the Russia-Ukraine war for its accuracy and mobility.

The M270A2 is the upgraded variant of the M270A1 MLRS. It was introduced in 2019 and can fire Guided MLRS (GMLRS), Extended Range GMLRS rockets, Precision Strike Missiles, and the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

Finland to buy missile defense system from Israel

In another $345 million trilateral deal with the U.S. and Israel, Finland is seeking to acquire the medium- and long-range missile defense system known as “David’s Sling”.

Jointly produced by Israel’s Rafael and the U.S.’s Raytheon in 2017, the David’s Sling replaced Israel’s MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot missile defense system. Finland is set to become the first European country to install David’s Sling missile defense system.

*^{Israel David Sling missile system. (Image Credit: Israel’s Homeland Security)}*

According to Israel’s Defense Ministry, the deal is now in its final stages as the U.S. has approved the sales. The ministry said that Finland’s version of the missile defense system will be jointly developed by Rafael, US company Raytheon, and Finnish industries. Finland has also received several missiles, launchers, and radar systems from Tel Aviv over the past few months.

Finland’s increasing defense spending

The Scandinavian country shares the longest border with Russia stretching up to 1340 kilometers. At its closest point, Finland’s border is less than 500 kilometers away from Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg.

Since becoming the 31st permanent member of the NATO alliance, Finland has been expanding its military budget for upgrading its arsenal amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s increasing aggression toward Europe. Helsinki has become NATO’s fifth-highest military spender as a part of its GDP, falling only behind the U.S., Poland, Estonia, and the UK.

Finland has also increased the mobilization of its armed forces. While Finland’s peacetime military force is the same size as Czechia’s, its wartime military personnel figures are larger than France, standing at more than 280,000.