The FIROS 30 Field Rocket System is an area-saturation weapon system and is based on the 122 mm BPD Difesa E Spazio SpA unguided rockets. The system is intended for use either in battery or isolated missions and can cover large areas in the 8 to 34 km zone.

A typical battery would consist of a command post equipped with a fire-direction system, six firing units and six to 12 escort units. The firing unit is a modular rocket launcher installed on a heavy (6 × 6) truck, for example IVECO (Italy) or Mercedes-Benz (Germany).

It was available in two different versions: a standard version, with a motorised/manual movement system simple to operate; and an automatic version, equipped with an inertial navigator, a servo-control system and a ballistic computer.

This firing unit configuration enables the crew to perform the topographic and ballistic calculations and the aiming procedures through an Automatic Control Unit installed in the vehicle cab.

The launcher consists of two removable modules with 20 launching tubes each. The escort unit can carry four launching modules. The loading operations are carried out by removing the empty 122 mm (20-round) module with a jib crane fitted on the support vehicle and installing the filled one ready to fire.

The firing unit has a fire-control system and a link with the command post to acquire the necessary firing data in real time. The fire-control system has been designed to enable selection of the number (from 1 to 40) and type of rockets to be fired.

The FIROS 30 122 mm unguided rockets rockets differ in propellant types and maximum range and can carry a variety of warheads.

The United Arab Emirates use the FIROS system on Mercedes-Benz (6 × 6) truck chassis.

The 122 mm rockets launched by the 122 mm FIROS 30 system can also be launched by the widely used 122 mm Russian, Chinese or similar BM-21 systems.

Production of this 122 mm (40-round) rocket and its associated rockets has been completed and they are no longer market.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has now taken into service an upgraded version of its Italian supplied BPD FIROS 122 mm (40-round) multiple rocket launcher system.

These were originally delivered to the UAE many years ago and each launcher system consists of a Mercedes-Benz (6 x 6) cross-country chassis on the rear of which is mounted a turntable with two pods of 20 122 mm unguided surface-to-surface rockets.

These 122 mm rockets have now run out of shelf life and the Turkish company of Roketsan was awarded a contract to provide a new launcher system together with a new family of 122 mm rockets and a modified fire control system.

First deliveries were made in 2005 and are expected to continue through to 2008. The upgrade work to the launcher is being carried out in the UAE with rockets provided direct from Turkey to UAE.

It is understood that the UAE has about 48 launchers but at this stage it is not known how many are being upgraded.

Existing launcher system has been removed and replaced by a new turntable with powered launcher which carries two pods each of 20 x 122 mm rockets.

Once these rockets have been fired the launcher would normally redeploy to another position to avoid counter battery fire where the pods would be rapidly removed and replaced by two new pods.

So far the UAE has taken delivery of at least two types of Roketsan 122 mm rockets which have already been produced in production quantities for the Turkish Land Forces Command.

First UAE batch consisted of 3, 040 rockets in two models, TRB-122 and TRK-122. The former is fitted with a high explosive warhead and has a stated maximum range of over 40 km with a minimum range of 21 km without drag ring and 10 km with drag ring.

TRK-122 has a maximum range of 30 km and a minimum range of 16 km and is fitted with a warhead containing 50 anti-personnel/anti-material munitions and six incendiary bomblets. Both rockets have a composite solid propellant rocket motor. These were delivered in 2005 with a similar number being delivered in 2006.