M270 MRLS

Mobile Rocket Launch System (MRLS)
The Mobile Rocket Launch System was the GDI’s main artillery unit during the First Tiberian War. Based on the United States M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the GDI’s MLRS units deliver multiple rocket rounds effective against everything from the ground up. This tracked vehicle was somewhat slow, was very fragile, and was unable to engage units in close proximity to itself. As a result, MRLS units usually moved in company with other units for protection against Nod units. In Tiberian Dawn these vehicles launched two missiles every firing cycle.

In Renegade, the MRLS filled a similar role as their RTS counterparts, and shared the same limitations. Unlike their Tiberian Dawn counterparts, these units could fire up to six rockets per launching cycle. This made them somewhat better suited for assaults against Nod bases. In the solo player campaign the MLRS unit only made one appearance in the penultimate mission, when the player is charged with destroying Nod’s Sarajevo base; however, the unit was available for construction in the multiplayer mode and could be built en masse.

Between Tiberian Dawn and Tiberian Sun, these units were radically redesigned, resulting in a very different MLRS unit. Unlike their predecessor, these new MLRS units no longer relied on tracks for transportation, and instead they had been redesigned as hover units which floated a few feet off the ground. The hovering ability of these new MRLS units meant that they were now amphibious units, a property that the GDI made use of several times, most notably during the assault on Hammerfest Base, when three of these units helped cut Nod supply lines and base power, allowing GDI engineers to recapture the facility. Like their Tiberian Dawn counterparts, these units fired two missiles per launch cycle, but — unlike their predecessors — these units were susceptible to Ion Storms, which would ground hover MLRS units until the storm had passed. While grounded, MLRS units were vulnerable to attack from Nod units, but unlike other GDI units the hover MLRS could still defend itself during Ion Storms. Furthermore, it seems between Tiberian Dawn and Tiberian Sun, the MLRS changed its type of rockets. In Tiberian Dawn, the MLRS was very effective at eliminating infantry units (as well as all other units), but in Tiberian Sun the MLRS struggled against infantry as the rockets tend to do minimal damage compared to its predecessor.