The ASTROS II launcher is capable of firing rockets of
different calibers armed with a range of warheads.
The SS-30 rocket, caliber 127mm, can be loaded with 32 rounds per
launcher and has a range between 9km and 30km.
The SS-40 rocket, caliber 180mm, can be loaded with 16 rounds per
launcher and has a range between 15km and 35km.
The SS-60/SS-80 rocket, caliber 300mm, can be loaded with 4 rounds
per launcher and has a range between 20km and 80km.
In my uneducated opinion, the howitzer gun and the MLRS are not
meant to replace each other. They may both do the same job, but
they do it very differently.
In terms of range, you can see the the bigger MLRS rockets have big
range advantage over the howitzer.
(Of course, arty is more accurate.)
But the reason why the Germans in WW2 feared the Soviet rockets -
called Stalin's Organs - is not range.
It's the sheer firepower of a rocket barrage.
One ASTROS MLRS launcher can fire off all 16 SS-40 180mm rockets
within (estimated) 6 seconds.
So 10 MLRS launchers can impact a target with 160 rockets within 6
seconds!
10 155mm howitzer with 3-round burst capability can deliver only 30
rounds in the first 6 seconds.
The initial 6-second barrage will catch most people before they can
take cover.
The MLRS will not have to reload and can move away to safety
immediately after firing to escape counter fire or air
attacks.
However, the howitzer is capable of accurate, sustained fire on an
objective whereas the MLRS is more suited for one-time-only
saturation of an area. This is because a MLRS takes forever to
reload.
The Malaysians have the MLRS as it is a good weapon for destroying
our airbases. I don't think they'll waste the expensive rockets on
our HDB estates. The Malaysians may go to war with us but they are
not terrorists.
I don't think SG need MLRS. What we need to figure out is an
effective way of countering MLRS rockets after they are fired
towards SG.
