HIMARS

M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
Type	Rocket artillery
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Wars	Operation Enduring Freedom
Specifications
Weight	24,000 lb (10,900 kg)
Length	7 m (23.0 ft)
Width	2.4 m (7.87 ft)
Height	3.2 m (10.5 ft)
Crew	3
Operational range	480 km (298 mi)
Speed	85 km/h (52.8 mph)

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a U.S. light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a truck.

The HIMARS carries six rockets or one Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile on the U.S. Army's new Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) five-ton truck, and can launch the entire M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) family of munitions. HIMARS is interchangeable with the MLRS M270A1, carrying half the rocket load.

The vehicle is C-130 transportable and produced by BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems (formerly Armor Holdings Aerospace and Defense Group Tactical Vehicle Systems Division), the OEM of the FMTV. The rocket system is produced by Lockheed Martin.

Deployment

In 2002, the United States Marine Corps arranged with the United States Army to acquire 40 of the systems. Fielding began in 2005. In July 2007, Marines from Fox Battery 2nd Battalion 14 Marines were deployed to the Al Anbar province of Iraq. This is the first Marine unit to use the HIMARS in combat.

HIMARS was also tested as a common launcher for both artillery rockets and the surface launched variant of the AMRAAM anti-aircraft missile.^[1]

Singapore

As of September 2007, the Singapore Army proposed to acquire HIMARS systems. The package includes 18 HIMARS launchers, 9 FMTV 5-Ton Trucks and XM31 unitary HE GMLRS pods, plus associated support and communications equipment and services. This proposed package is notable for not involving the M-26 or other unguided MLRS rockets. In late 2009, Singapore took delivery of the first HIMARS firing unit and achieved Full Operational Capability. The 23rd Battalion, Singapore artillery comissioned its HIMARS battery on 5th September 2011. It marks the first fully GPS-guided HIMARS unit.

Operational history

On February 14, 2010, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan indicated in a press release that it was thought that two rockets fired from a HIMARS unit fell 300 metres short of their intended target and killed 12 civilians during Operation Moshtarak. ISAF suspended the use of the HIMARS until a full review of the incident was completed.^[2] A British officer later said that the rockets were on target, that the target was in use by the Taliban, and use of the system has been reinstated.^[3] Reports indicate that the civilian deaths were due to the Taliban's use of an occupied dwelling, the presence of civilians at that location was not known to the ISAF forces.^[4] An October 21, 2010 report in the New York Times credited HIMARS with aiding the NATO offensive in Kandahar by targeting Taliban commanders' hideouts, forcing many to flee to Pakistan, at least temporarily.^[5]

Specifications

An MFOR rocket is launched from a HIMARS

Crew:	3: Gunner, Driver, and Section Chief
Weight:	24,000 lb
Length:	7m
Width:	2.4m
Height:	3.2m
Vehicle Range:	480 km
Road Speed:	85 km/hour
Armament:	6 x 227mm M270 series rockets or 1 MGM-140 ATACMS missile

Related developments

Lockheed Martin UK and INSYS had jointly developed a demonstrator rocket artillery system similar to HIMARS for the British Army's 'Lightweight Mobile Artillery Weapon System/Rocket' (LIMAWS(R)) program. The system consisted of a single MLRS pod, mounted on a Supacat SPV600 chassis.^[6] The LIMAWS(R) programs was cancelled in September 2007.^[7]

Operators

 United States

• United States Army
  • Active Duty
    • 17th Fires Brigade
      • 5th Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
      • 1st Battalion 94th Field Artillery Regiment
    • 18th Fires Brigade
      • 3rd Battalion 27th Field Artillery Regiment
    • 214th Fires Brigade
      • 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment
  • Army National Guard
    • 65th Fires Brigade (UT ARNG)
      • 5th Battalion 113th Field Artillery Regiment (NC ARNG)
    • 45th Fires Brigade (OK ARNG)
    • 142nd Fires Brigade (AR ARNG)
      • 1st Battalion 181st Field Artillery Regiment (TN ARNG)
    • 169th Fires Brigade (CO ARNG)
      • 2nd Battalion 130th Field Artillery Regiment(KS ARNG)
    • 197th Fires Brigade (NH ARNG)
      • 3rd Battalion 197th Field Artillery Regiment
      • 1st Battalion 182nd Field Artillery Regiment (MI ARNG)
    • 115th Fires Brigade (WY ARNG)
      • 1st Battalion 121st Field Artillery Regiment (WI ARNG)
• United States Marine Corps
  • 11th Marine Regiment
    • 5th Battalion 11th Marines
  • 14th Marine Regiment
    • 2nd Battalion 14th Marines

 Singapore

• Singapore Army (18) (Partially delivered)
  • 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery (23 SA)^[8]

 United Arab Emirates

• United Arab Emirates Army (20) (On Order)

 Jordan

• Jordanian Army 12 HIMARS system + another 12 HIMARS launchers ordered

Potential and future operators

 Canada

The Department of National Defence is considering the purchase of HIMARS. The former Chief of the Land Staff, Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, said the plan to acquire rocket launchers was something that "would be considered much further down the road—possibly in the 2012 time frame. ^{[9][10][11][12]}

See also

• List of U.S. Army Rocket Launchers by model number
• BM-27 Multiple Launch Rocket System
• BM-30 Multiple Launch Rocket System
• M-26 artillery rocket
• M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
• TOS-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System
• Astros II

References

1. ^ HIMARS Launcher Successfully Fires Air Defense Missile
2. ^ ISAF Weapon Fails to Hit Intended Target, 12 Civilians Killed
3. ^ "Operation Moshtarak: missiles that killed civilians 'hit correct target'". Telegraph. 2010-02-16. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7254661/Operation-Moshtarak-missiles-that-killed-civilians-hit-correct-target.html. Retrieved 2010-07-07. 
4. ^ "Artillery: It Wasn't Me". Strategypage.com. 2010-02-18. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htart/articles/20100218.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-07. 
5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/world/asia/21kandahar.html Coalition Forces Routing Taliban in Key Afghan Region
6. ^ Missiles and Fire Support at DSEi 2007
7. ^ UK cancels LIMAWS Gun to pay for operations, Janes.com, 04 September 2007
8. ^ "Integration at its best". Ministry of Defence (Singapore). 2010-01-04. http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/publications/cyberpioneer/features/2010/jan10_fs.html. Retrieved 1 May 2011. "Men from 23 SA had commenced training with the US Army's HIMARS in March 2009." 
9. ^ "CASR Background — Artillery — Long-Range Precision Rocket System". Canadian American Strategic Review. http://www.casr.ca/bg-artillery-lrprs-rocket-project.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
10. ^ "Canadian army shopping for rocket launchers". CTV. 2009-01-08. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090108/rocket_army_090108/20090108?hub=Canada. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
11. ^ "Canada Seeks MLRS Rocket Systems". Defense Industry Daily. 2009-01-07. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Canada-Seeks-MLRS-Rocket-Systems-05236/. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
12. ^ "Long Range Precision Rocket System (LRPRS) – A Multiple- Launch Rocket System – MERX LOI Letter of Interest Notice". Canadian American Strategic Review. http://www.casr.ca/doc-loi-lrprs-rocket.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 

External links

• http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/himars.htm
• Army-Technology.com: HIMARS
• Lockheed-Martin: HIMARS
• DoD Press Release on Proposed HIMARS Sale to Singapore
• Information about M26/M30/M31 MLRS rockets on designation-systems.net
• MERX Release on Proposed HIMARS to the Canadian Forces in 2010
• Use of HIMARS system suspended in Afghanistan after 12 civilians killed by 300m targeting error