HIMARS

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a U.S. light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) truck frame.

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 Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions (MFOM). HIMARS is interchangeable with the MLRS M270A1, carrying half the rocket load.

The launcher is C-130 transportable. The chassis is 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 launching system is produced by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control.

Deployment
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is the light, wheeled version of the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The HIMARS utilizes the same pod as the M270 MLRS uses. A pod can hold six rockets or a single missile.

18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was the initial army test bed unit for the M142 HIMARS. C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment began field testing 3 HIMARS prototypes in all types of training events and environments in 1998 as a residual of the Rapid Force Projection Initiative (RFPI) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). 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 Marine Regiment 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.

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 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 commissioned its HIMARS battery on 5 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. 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. 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. 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.

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. The LIMAWS(R) programs was cancelled in September 2007.

Operators

 * 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)
 * 138th Fires Brigade (KY ARNG)
 * 3rd Battalion 116th Field Artillery Regiment (FL 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
 * 2nd Battalion 14th Marines


 * Singapore Army (18)
 * 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery (23 SA)

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 * United Arab Emirates Army (20)
 * Jordanian Army (12)

Potential and future operators
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.

In December 2012, Qatar notified the U.S. of a possible Foreign Military Sale of 7 M142 HIMARS systems, as well as 60 M57 MGM-140 ATACMS Block 1A T2K unitary rockets and 30 M31A1 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) unitary rockets. The deal would cost an estimated $406 million.