IF7M1 Kursas

The IF7M1 Kursas is the 3rd MLRS system developed for the Khertland army dedicated to counter-battery fire with a range of up to 4. 9km. It is built on the same chassis as the Squealer. The Kursas has been built in response to the threat of highly capable MLRS systems. The army had been aware of the threat for a long time with their own Squealer. As a result the army had extended the role of counter-battery fire to the Isfet. They had also introduced the Iron Guardian C-RAM system. However they would all prove to be insufficient solutions. The Kursas had an exceptionally short development time, built as a result from lessons learned during the army maneuvers at Neferniwt 2023. During 3 out of 4 exercises, the Squealer MLRS proved to be extremely effective and a decisive factor during these battles. 2 of the 3 battles included the Iron Guardian specifically to counter the Squealers but proved insufficient. The Iron Guardian was eventually saturated. This led to concern among commanders that opposing militaries who also have equivalent systems could pose a serious threat to friendly ground forces. Although the army had the Isfet for counter-battery, it was originally designed with the intention of providing artillery support that can bypass most C-RAM systems. It had the range and accuracy for counter-battery fire but it required a substantial barrage to knock out enemy artillery which was found to take too much time. Opposing MLRS systems could fire their full salvo before being destroyed. This problem was well known even when the Isfet first entered service but the army still did not address the issue. The Kursas would resolve all this capability gap by being purpose designed for counter-battery capabilities. A missile system was chosen as they were more capable of carrying large payloads accurately at long distances. This warhead size made them more lethal than the Isfet’s guided rounds which reduced its bursting charge. Kursas was capable of hitting as far as 5km a