M142 HIMARS 🇺🇸 The HIMARS Rocket System is a BEAST!!

M142 HIMARS light multiple rocket launcher

1.Introduction 00:05
2.Design 01:28

Introduction

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a lightweight multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army. It is mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck frame.

HIMARS carries one pod that can be equipped with either six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets or one ATACMS missile. Based on the U.S. Army's FMTV five-ton truck, it is capable of launching all rockets within the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions. HIMARS ammunition pods are interchangeable with those of the M270 MLRS, though HIMARS utilizes a single pod, unlike the M270 and its variants which use two.

The launcher can be transported by various aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster, C-5 Galaxy, and Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The FMTV truck that carries the HIMARS was initially produced by Armor Holdings Aerospace and Defense Group Tactical Vehicle Systems Division, the original equipment manufacturer of the FMTV. From 2010 to 2017, production was handled by the Oshkosh Corporation.

Design

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is similar in design to the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), with the primary difference being that HIMARS is a wheeled vehicle, whereas the M270 is tracked. Both systems can carry the same type of pods, but HIMARS carries one pod, while the M270 carries two. The windows of the HIMARS are constructed from sheets of sapphire laminated with glass and polycarbonate.

HIMARS was also tested as a unified launch system for both artillery rockets and the SLAMRAAM surface-launched variant of the AMRAAM anti-aircraft missile.

In October 2017, a Marine Corps HIMARS successfully fired a rocket from the deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage, marking the first instance of launching a rocket at sea against a land target. This demonstrated the system's capability to operate from ships and deliver precision fire from a standoff range against shore defenses. The vehicle's targeting software was reworked to enhance its ability to fire while on a moving launch platform.

By early 2022, Lockheed Martin was producing HIMARS at a rate of 48 launchers per year. However, following the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the production rate increased to 60 launchers annually. In October 2022, Lockheed Martin announced plans to boost production to 96 systems annually in response to increased demand caused by the war. Despite these plans, limitations in building new industrial capacity mean it will take several months before production can increase from five to eight vehicles per month.