On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the Australian Department of Defence announced that the first domestically produced units of 227 mm GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) family guided rocket ammunition for M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) multiple launch rocket systems have been manufactured in the country.
Photos: Australian Department of Defence
This is the result of an agreement worth 37.4 million AUD between Lockheed Martin Australia and the Australian government, signed on January 16, 2024, to establish a production line following an agreement with the U.S. government dated July 29, 2023.
As emphasized, locating production at the new manufacturing facility in Port Wakefield, South Australia, increases resilience and reduces dependence on international supply chains. The first batch (launch pods containing six rockets each – editor’s note) is expected to be ready by mid-March this year.
This is the first facility outside the United States producing GMLRS ammunition. Until now, the only production line existed at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Camden, Arkansas, while the U.S. Army is currently surveying the market to identify opportunities to increase GMLRS production to 19,000 rockets annually by 2028. Meanwhile, the Australian government plans to establish a separate high-capacity facility in order to achieve its long-term target of 4,000 rockets per year by 2029 (USA: Over USD 4 Billion for GMLRS Ammunition Production).
Domestic production ensures that Australia will be able to sustain its own GMLRS ammunition output during a conflict, even if global supply chains are disrupted.
Brigadier Jim Hunter, Director General for Guided Weapons Manufacturing Capability, said that this represents a step toward strengthening sovereign capabilities.
“In the past, we’ve largely bought our weapons off the shelf, with orders taking years to arrive,” he said. “Our intention is to ensure we are building guided weapons to the exact same standard as the weapons rolling off the production lines in the US.”
Australia has requested a total of 90 M142 HIMARS launchers in three batches, and the first deliveries to the newly established 10th Fires Brigade in Adelaide began on March 24, 2025. Along with the launchers, initial ammunition packages were ordered, including a total of 150 six-pack launch pods with M30A2 GMLRS rockets in the AW (Alternative Warhead) variant and 60 pods with M30A1 GMLRS-AW, 70 pods with M31 Unitary GMLRS, 24 pods with M31A2 ER-GMLRS-U, 30 pods with XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW rockets, 30 pods with EM404 ER-GMLRS rockets, and 10 MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles. Excluding the latter, Australia requested the purchase of a total of 2,184 rockets from the GMLRS family.
The core GMLRS ammunition family includes the M31 GMLRS-U and M30A1 GMLRS AW, both with a range of 15–84 km.
The M31 Unitary entered service in 2005. It is equipped with an 89-kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead produced by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. The rocket is guided by an inertial navigation system (INS) corrected by GPS, and uses a dual-mode fuze with impact and delay settings. The newer M31A1 version also includes a proximity fuze mode.
The M30A1 AW, introduced in 2015, is fitted with an 89-kg warhead produced by ATK using insensitive explosive material and containing 160,000 pre-formed fragments. Its guidance system is the same as that used in the M31A1. The M30A1 AW is designed for area effects, including counter-battery fire, suppression of air defense systems, command posts, and other high-value targets.
Plans also include launching licensed production of the latest PrSM (Precision Strike Missile) ballistic missiles, with a planned range of up to 1,000 km. Australia joined the U.S. program on August 12, 2021, and on July 25, 2025, the first live firing in the country took place (GMLRS firing had already been conducted on July 14).
Although the components of the ammunition initially come from the United States, there are plans to establish local production in order to achieve full domestic manufacturing capability.
“We have programs engaging with Australian industry to start building the parts, so that we get to a point where we could manufacture guided weapons from tip to tail,” Brigadier Hunter said.
The capability to produce guided weapons is one of the five major manufacturing initiatives. It forms part of a broader investment of up to AUD 21 billion in the guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise over the next decade.
Brigadier Hunter said that the Strategic Defence Review outlined recommendations to increase investment in long-range strike capabilities as a key means of deterring potential conflict.
“By having the capacity for the domestic manufacture of these weapons, Australia will have increased its resilience and ability to hold adversaries at risk, thus enabling the deterrence effects that underpin the National Defence Strategy,” he said.
Guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS) are now being manufactured in Australia, bolstering resilience and reducing reliance on international supply chains.
Production operations have begun at the new manufacturing facility in 📍 Port Wakefield, South Australia, with the… pic.twitter.com/9lnaYem3RT
— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) March 11, 2026