The U.S. Leads NATO in Rocket Power, 641 MLRS Systems Outpace Entire European Stockpile

By Chris Lange Published May 30, 7:50AM EDT

Key Points

Eastern Europe has been a hotbed for conflict for the last few years, and many NATO members in the area have been fortifying their defenses
Romania is one example of expanding its firepower by building out its MLRS inventory
These weapons systems are crucial in modern warfare not just for devastating strike from a distance but also for defensive measures

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The U.S. Leads NATO in Rocket Power, 641 MLRS Systems Outpace Entire European Stockpile — © Courtesy of Lockheed Martin via Army.mil

Eastern Europe has been a hotly contested region over the last few years with many NATO members in the area fortifying their defenses. Countries like Romania have made strides in improving their firepower by building out their Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) inventories. These long-range rocket systems make it possible to deliver devastating strikes across great distances. Ultimately, these weapons systems are essential in modern warfare for deterring aggression and supporting forward operations. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the NATO Alliance and which of these member nations have the largest arsenals of MLRSs.

To identify the NATO countries with the most MLRS units in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of MLRS in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, artillery and tanks, as well as each country’s overall military strength score and defense budget. Countries without MLRS units were excluded.

Here is a look at the countries with the largest MLRS armies in NATO:

Why Are We Covering This?

NATO flag on cloudy sky. flying in the sky

Understanding NATO’s military dynamics is important when looking at the state of global security. Since its inception, NATO has played a pivotal role in shaping international relations through its collective defense and security framework. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise and new threats emerge, knowing and understanding NATO’s military capabilities is important for getting a clearer picture of the world stage. Not to mention, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among others, contribute significantly to NATO’s military strength, influencing global power balances and regional stability.

19. Netherlands

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 2
Total tanks: 18
Total artillery: 46
Total military vehicles: 2,755
Military defense budget: $27,000,000,000 – #18 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.6412 – #36 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, the Netherlands has 120 military aircraft (including 32 fighter aircraft and 63 helicopters). The Netherlands has 41,380 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 17.77 million.

18. Denmark

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 8
Total tanks: 44
Total artillery: 19
Total military vehicles: 3,856
Military defense budget: $7,225,466,250 – #40 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.8109 – #45 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Denmark has 117 military aircraft (including 4 attack aircraft, 31 fighter aircraft, and 34 helicopters). Denmark has 20,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5.973 million.

17. France

Israel+MLRS | Menatetz -- Our-IDF-2018-IZE-146

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 9
Total tanks: 215
Total artillery: 96
Total military vehicles: 110,932
Military defense budget: $55,000,000,000 – #9 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.1878 – #8 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, France has 976 military aircraft (including 226 fighter aircraft and 448 helicopters). France has 200,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.37 million.

16. Montenegro

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 12
Total tanks: 0
Total artillery: 12
Total military vehicles: 471
Military defense budget: $148,100,000 – #136 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:2.9216 – #127 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Montenegro has 11 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Montenegro has 2,350 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 599,849.

15. Czechia

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 16
Total tanks: 43
Total artillery: 50
Total military vehicles: 6,340
Military defense budget: $6,750,000,000 – #43 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.9994 – #53 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Czechia has 99 military aircraft (including 16 attack aircraft, 12 fighter aircraft, and 42 helicopters). Czechia has 28,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.84 million.

14. North Macedonia

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 17
Total tanks: 20
Total artillery: 150
Total military vehicles: 1,108
Military defense budget: $388,421,700 – #114 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:2.4042 – #112 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, North Macedonia has 20 military aircraft (including 10 helicopters). North Macedonia has 9,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 2.136 million.

13. Italy

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 21
Total tanks: 200
Total artillery: 172
Total military vehicles: 73,480
Military defense budget: $30,890,000,000 – #16 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.2164 – #10 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Italy has 729 military aircraft (including 67 attack aircraft, 89 fighter aircraft, and 392 helicopters). Italy has 165,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 60.96 million.

12. Bulgaria

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 24
Total tanks: 90
Total artillery: 72
Total military vehicles: 4,914
Military defense budget: $1,373,232,000 – #80 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:1.2563 – #61 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Bulgaria has 65 military aircraft (including 5 attack aircraft, 10 fighter aircraft, and 27 helicopters). Bulgaria has 37,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 6.783 million.

11. Slovakia

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 25
Total tanks: 45
Total artillery: 44
Total military vehicles: 3,074
Military defense budget: $2,656,000,000 – #64 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:1.3978 – #71 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Slovakia has 41 military aircraft (including 2 fighter aircraft and 22 helicopters). Slovakia has 19,500 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5.564 million.

10. United Kingdom

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 29
Total tanks: 227
Total artillery: 197
Total military vehicles: 38,200
Military defense budget: $71,500,540,000 – #6 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.1785 – #6 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, the United Kingdom has 631 military aircraft (including 31 attack aircraft, 113 fighter aircraft, and 266 helicopters). The United Kingdom has 184,860 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 68.46 million.

9. Germany

Germany mlrs (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Sonaz

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 33
Total tanks: 296
Total artillery: 134
Total military vehicles: 83,260
Military defense budget: $50,000,000,000 – #11 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.2601 – #14 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Germany has 584 military aircraft (including 63 attack aircraft, 129 fighter aircraft, and 309 helicopters). Germany has 181,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.12 million.

8. Croatia

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 42
Total tanks: 45
Total artillery: 67
Total military vehicles: 2,848
Military defense budget: $1,176,000,000 – #83 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:1.5074 – #75 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Croatia has 67 military aircraft (including 10 fighter aircraft and 37 helicopters). Croatia has 14,325 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 4.150 million.

7. Finland

Finland artillery | Missile system on the background of the Finnish flag

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 76
Total tanks: 200
Total artillery: 774
Total military vehicles: 11,704
Military defense budget: $6,779,661,000 – #42 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.8437 – #48 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Finland has 163 military aircraft (including 54 fighter aircraft and 27 helicopters). Finland has 24,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 5.626 million.

6. Albania

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 135
Total tanks: 46
Total artillery: 50
Total military vehicles: 1,796
Military defense budget: $558,862,420 – #101 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:1.6815 – #78 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Albania has 19 military aircraft, all of which are helicopters. Albania has 6,600 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 3.107 million.

5. Greece

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 152
Total tanks: 1,344
Total artillery: 1287
Total military vehicles: 61,888
Military defense budget: $6,500,000,000 – #44 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.5337 – #30 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Greece has 558 military aircraft (including 178 fighter aircraft and 293 helicopters). Greece has 142,700 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 10.46 million.

4. Poland

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 196
Total tanks: 614
Total artillery: 677
Total military vehicles: 23,138
Military defense budget: $48,700,000,000 – #12 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.3776 – #22 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Poland has 479 military aircraft (including 44 attack aircraft, 59 fighter aircraft, and 216 helicopters). Poland has 202,100 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 38.75 million.

3. Romania

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 243
Total tanks: 328
Total artillery: 720
Total military vehicles: 10,774
Military defense budget: $9,700,000,000 – #33 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.8984 – #51 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Romania has 140 military aircraft (including 21 fighter aircraft and 65 helicopters). Romania has 81,300 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 18.15 million.

2. Turkey

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 296
Total tanks: 2,238
Total artillery: 2,745
Total military vehicles: 61,173
Military defense budget: $47,000,000,000 – #13 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.1902 – #9 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, Turkey has 1,083 military aircraft (including 201 fighter aircraft and 508 helicopters). Turkey has 355,200 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 84.12 million.

1. United States

Total Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 641
Total tanks: 4,640
Total artillery: 1,883
Total military vehicles: 391,963
Military defense budget: $895,000,000,000 – #1 out of 145
Military strength score and world rank:0.0744 – #1 out of 145

Apart from the ground forces, the United States has 13,043 military aircraft (including 889 attack aircraft, 1,790 fighter aircraft, and 5,843 helicopters). The United States has 1,328,000 active-duty personnel out of a total population of 341.96 million.

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.