Direct proof of use
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System was fired in combat during Operation Desert Storm in the 1990 Gulf War. An official U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal history states that MLRS and Army TACMS both made their combat debut in the Persian Gulf War, and that Alpha Battery, 21st Field Artillery launched the first MLRS munitions fired in combat on February 13, 1991 near the Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait border area.
The same Army account records that U.S. Army artillery units fired more than 17,000 MLRS rockets during the Persian Gulf conflict against Iraqi howitzer and rocket battalions, air-defense artillery battalions, command-and-control facilities, and logistics facilities. British Army Review material also identifies 39 Regiment Royal Artillery with 12 M270 launchers in the British Gulf War order of battle, and describes its MLRS being moved forward and fired during the ground battle.
Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, British Army Review Gulf War
Timeline
Coalition MLRS use followed the Desert Shield deployment and began before the ground offensive. Lockheed Martin's historical account describes MLRS crews deploying with only about one-fifth of launchers fully mission capable, then using prewar support and reliability work before the system's combat debut in Desert Storm.
On February 13, 1991, Alpha Battery, 21st Field Artillery conducted the first MLRS combat firing. During the broader campaign, U.S. Army MLRS batteries and British M270 launchers supported artillery raids, counterfire, and preparations for maneuver forces as coalition forces pushed Iraqi units out of Kuwait.
Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, MLRS Thunder in the Desert, British Army Review Gulf War
Narrative
In the Gulf War, the M270 served as heavy rocket artillery for coalition land operations rather than as a standalone weapon. Its main documented tasks were massed fire support, counterfire, interdiction, and area fires against Iraqi artillery, air-defense, command, and logistics targets. The U.S. Army Redstone history says a 10-launcher Alpha Battery firing unit released more than 100 rockets on several enemy positions in less than a minute during the initial combat trial.
The U.S. Army account names A Battery, 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery of the Oklahoma Army National Guard as the highest-firing MLRS battery in Southwest Asia, with 699 rockets during raids and the ground war, and Alpha Battery as the second highest with 550 rockets. A separate Army Historical Foundation article characterizes MLRS as the preferred system for counterfire, artillery preparations, and artillery raids in the Gulf War.
British use is separately documented. British Army Review lists 39 Regiment Royal Artillery with 12 M270 multiple launch rocket systems in Operation Granby, and a later British Army Review battlefield account describes 39 Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery's MLRS being moved forward to engage Objective LEAD during 1st Armoured Division operations.
Sources: Redstone Desert Storm Role, Army Historical Foundation European Artillery, British Army Review Gulf War
