U.S. troops entering Baghdad this week will have a hard time
using Multiple Launch Rocket Systems in the densely populated
Iraqi capital without civilian casualties, said Philip Coyle, the
Pentagon’s former director of weapons testing.
To better direct the rockets in future conflicts, Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics Corp.
plan to upgrade its system by 2005 so artillery can be guided by
Global Positioning System satellites. The existing launcher hits
targets with a margin of error of about 100 feet, compared with 10
to 15 feet for Boeing Co.’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions and 30
feet for Raytheon Co.’s Tomahawk missile, analyst Dan Goure said.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
“Without GPS, you would be unwilling to use MLRS in an area
where it might cause submunitions to go into residential areas,”
said Goure, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute. “If
the Army wants precision at a distance, they have to bring in a
helicopter with a hellfire missile, or call someone else in for an air strike.”
Bloomberg News
