Out of the billions of dollars in weapons the White House has shipped to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, perhaps none have attracted as much attention as the M142 HIMARS, an advanced rocket launcher that Ukrainian troops have used to devastating effect.
In mid-October, Kyiv’s forces struck the Berdyansk and Luhansk airfields, located in eastern and southern Ukraine using ATACMS launched from HIMARS systems.
There are more than 550 HIMARS’s fielded worldwide which have accumulated more than 2 million operating hours.
It is a combat tested highly reliable system that has surpassed all performance standards.
Made its first combat deployment in 2010, M142 HIMARS is a light multiple rocket launcher that is installed on Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) 5-ton truck.
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin describes the M142 HIMARS as having "shoot and scoot" capability, referring to the fact it is a highly mobile weapons system that can fire and retreat at speed.
HIMARS’ ability to deploy shoot move and reload in a few minutes significantly hinders an enemy's ability to find and target the system.
Eventhough its crew consists of a driver, gunner and a commander when needed the computer-based fire control system enables a crew of two or even a single soldier to load and unload the system.
The HIMARS launcher can aim at a target in just 16 seconds.
HIMARS carries a six-pack of GMLRS rockets or one TACMS missile, and is designed to launch the entire MLRS family of munitions.
The Lockheed Martin GMLRS rocket has a GPS, an inertial guidance package and small canards on the rocket nose to enhance accuracy.
Most of GMLRS series rockets the system fires have effective range of up to 57 miles (92km). However, the most effective and feared missile HIMARS launchs is the ATACMS.
Even though Ukraine has been requesting the provision of ATACMS for a year, U.S. officials were initially hesitant due to their own limited stockpile and concerns that Russia might interpret it as a provocative move by Washington.
The MGM-140 ATACMS is a versatile missile system designed for all-weather conditions, allowing for precision strikes against targets located far from the front lines. This capability is particularly advantageous for Ukraine, given its climate, which makes air-launched attacks less feasible for a significant part of the year.
With a unit cost of nearly 1.5 million USD, this weapon system is far from inexpensive
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