The Firos (FIROS) was an Italian multiple rocket launcher system developed during the Cold War. The 122 mm rockets were mounted on an armoured 6×6 truck (lorry) for mobility. The Firos vehicles were mounted with forty 122 mm long range rockets. The 122 mm rocket was designed as a surface-to-surface rocket.[1][2]

The first version developed was the Firos-25, 48 of which were exported to the United Arab Emirates in the 1980s.[3] The more powerful Firos-30, with a range of over 30 km,[4] were built in the late 1980s, and entered into service with the Italian Army in 1987 with a single experimental battery.[5] The plans were about 60 launchers to buy in the '90s as light complement for the costly MLRS system, but the program was terminated and the Army retained only the MLRS as rocket launch system for its artillery.[6]

The Firos were similar to the Russian BM-21 Grad in that they both used 122 mm rockets in groups of forty, although they differed considerably in command and control systems and base vehicle. The rockets were compatible with BM-21 launchers and were presumibly sold to some costumers like Syria. About 160 system were built, included 16 FIROS 6 (51 mm version).

Notes

  1. ↑ "FIROS-25". The International Magazine of Armies and Weapons. Year VI – Volume V: 30–31. 1978.
  2. ↑ Sawhney, R. G. (1984). "Field Artillery Today and Tomorrow". Strategic Analysis. 7 (11): 928–941. doi:10.1080/09700168409428662.
  3. ↑ By 2006 the UAE still had 24 of them operational. Cordesman, Anthony H.; Al-Rodhan, Khalid R. (2007). Gulf Military Forces in an Era of Asymmetric Wars, Volume 1. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Prager. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-275-99250-7.
  4. ↑ "122 mm Firos 25/30 rockets (Italy), Artillery rockets". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 2012-09-24.
  5. ↑ "FIROS-25/30, Multiple launch rocket system". Military Today.
  6. ↑ Rivista Italiana Difesa, jan 1992, 'I programmi delle FF.AA. nella Finanziaria, p 61-62, Chiavari, Italy
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