Which Rising Power Has Nearly 1,500 Rocket Systems?

A Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is a valuable tool for militaries. This rocket artillery system can fire numerous long-range, self-propelled rockets. In combat scenarios, an MLRS can help troops target and destroy enemy forces or military vehicles. For this reason, many countries prioritize MLRS as part of their land power. In March 2025, U.S. soldiers participated in a joint multinational exercise in Norway to evaluate how well the United States and other NATO allies could deploy long-range firepower in an arctic environment. During the exercise, U.S. troops successfully deployed MLRS from Grafenwoehr, Germany to Setermoen, Norway. The American military currently has 641 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, while Norway has none. However, this exercise shows how American troops, or other NATO allies, could contribute to the defense of other NATO members should the need arise. (Which of the richest and most powerful countries has the most rockets?)

It should stand as no surprise that huge world powers like the United States or China maintain high stockpiles of military equipment, including MLRS. That being said, some rising global powers are also developing strong MLRS arsenals — including the top country on our list, which has over double the amount of MLRS as America. Here, 24/7 Wall St. set out to determine which rising nations had the most Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. To do so, we sourced information from the 2025 Military Strength Ranking developed by Global Firepower, trusted as a leading defense review for over two decades. The Military Strength Ranking compares the military power and readiness of 145 nations across the globe using a variety of factors. Each nation is given a Power Index ranking — essentially, the closer the number is to 0.000, the more powerful the military is. 24/7 Wall St. listed the rising nations with the most MLRS from least MLRS to most. In the event of a tie, the overall number of military vehicles, tanks, and artillery became the tiebreaker.

This previously published article was updated on March 21, 2025 to reflect new rankings and MLRS/military vehicle data from Global Firepower, as well as to illuminate the global efforts of certain countries to acquire additional MLRS.

Why Discuss MLRS Now?

As long as civilization has existed, the world has witnessed shifting power balances and alliances that have shaped, and continue to shape, the geopolitical landscape. Key players on the world stage — the United States, China, Russia — are certainly considered some of the most powerful nations. Yet other emerging military powers have their own spheres of influence and may start combatting some of the global powers. Even recently, Ukraine — in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia — used its air power to destroy a Russian MLRS. As more countries acquire these tools, emerging powers need to both supplement their own fleet while finding new ways to attack the fleets of potential threats. Understanding which countries have MLRS stocks gives you a better idea of how these conflicts might play out should any of these nations go to war.

Check out the rising global powers with the largest number of MLRS: