Multiple rocket launcher
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Image:BM-13 RB.jpg Image:RM 70 MRL.jpg A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system, in use since the Second World War. Like other rocket artillery, MRLs are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns. However, they have the capability of simultaneously dropping many hundreds of kilograms of explosive, with devastating effect.
The most famous system is the Katyusha rocket launcher used by the Soviet Union during World War II and by its allies during the Cold War. This was a simple system in which a rack of launch rails were mounted on the back of a truck. Modern systems are often mounted on armoured, tracked vehicles, have a range of tens of kilometers, and may be guided for accuracy.
The U.S. Army's M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) is an example of a modern system, also in service with several other nations.