M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) | LONG RANGE FIREPOWER

The M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a lighter version of the M270 MLRS multiple launch rocket system. It was intended for the US airborne troops and marines. It entered service with the US Army and Marine Corps in 2005. A total procurement of 900 launchers was planned. Some sources report that 540 HIMARS launcher were built. It has been exported to Jordan (12), Singapore (18) and the United Arab Emirates (20). Some other export customers are considering this system. In 2022 a small number of HIMARS systems were delivered to Ukraine in order to defend against the Russian invasion. In 2022 Estonia ordered 6 HIMARS systems.

The HIMARS fires the same rockets as the M270 MLRS, however it carries only one pack with a total of 6 rockets. It offers half firepower of the M270 MLRS. The HIMARS fires a full range of the M270 rockets, including rockets with HE-FRAG and cluster warheads.

M26 is a baseline 227 mm rocket. It is 3.96 m long and weights 307 kg. It has a range of 32 km and. It is fitted with a 120 kg dual-purpose warhead with 644 bomblets. It is effective against troops and vehicles. These rockets were produced in large numbers. However the M26 had a storage life of 25 years. During that time more capable and accurate rockets were introduced. The M26 was withdrawn from service. In 2009 the US military began to remove its complete stock of over 360 000 M26 artillery rockets from the inventory.

M26A1 is an extender-range rocket with a range of 45 km. It carries a smaller dual-purpose warhead with 518 bomblets. This rocket was additionally fitted with a self-destruct fuse. These rockets have been retired from the US service. Remaining stocks are being destroyed.

M26A2 is another extended-range rocket. It has a range of 45 km. It uses a dual-purpose warhead with multiple bomblets. This rocket was produced in relatively small numbers. In 2009 only 3 924 of these artillery rockets were in the US inventory. It is no longer used by the US military.

M30 guided rocket. It is also referred as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, Guided MLRS, or GMLRS. This weapon was developed to counter the threat of hostile long-range rocket and cannon artillery to the US forces. It was a replacement for the basic M26 and M26A2 ER artillery rockets. The M30 rocket has a range of 65-70 km and has substantially improved accuracy due to the use of built-in GPS system. It is fitted with a dual-purpose warhead with 404 bomblets. The M30 provides the same lethality as the M26 and M26A2 but fewer rockets are required to hit the target. By 2019 this rocket was no longer used by the US Military. The remaining M30 rockets were converted to M30A1 and M31A1 variants.

M30A1, M30A2 GMLRS-AW is a version of the GMLRS with a so called "alternative warhead". This is a 90 kg airburst fragmentation warhead. It explodes about 10 m above ground to disperse its 160 000 pre-formed fragments. This warhead is effective against area targets, including troops, vehicles, radars, forward command posts. Also it meets the US unexploded ordnance policy requirements. Range of fire is 65-70 km. This rocket was tested by the US Army in 2014 and was adopted shortly afterwards. Production commenced in 2015. Eventually it replaced in service the M30 guided rockets. The M30A1 could be a designation of the M30 rockets, fitted with alternative warhead.

M31 is a so called GMLRS-U or "unitary" rocket with a single 90 kg High Explosive (HE) warhead. Warhead has 23 kg of explosive content. Range of fire is 65-70 km. Some sources report that maximum range is 92 km. Production commenced in 2005. These rockets are used by the US military.

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M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) | LONG RANGE FIREPOWER