US HIMARS rocket launchers of Ukrainian army have conducted first combat operations


According to information published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on June 23, 2022, President Joe Biden has given the United States DoD (Department of Defense) authorization for a drawdown of up to $450 million to meet Ukraine's critical arms needs in the face of the Russian invasion including four additional M142 HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). According to a video published by Pavlo Narozhnyy, the first batch of US M142 HIMARS has conducted its first combat operations in Ukraine.
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First use by the Ukrainian army of the American M142 HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems for combat operations against Russian troops. (Picture source Screenshot Video Pavlo Narozhnyy)


The United States has now committed approximately $6.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration, including approximately $6.1 billion since the beginning of Russia's unprovoked invasion on February 24, 2022.

The new U.S. military aid for Ukraine includes four HIMARS M142 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 36,000 rounds of 105 mm ammunition, 18 tactical vehicles to tow 155 mm artillery, 1,200 grenade launchers, 2,000 machine guns, 18 coastal and riverine patrol boats, spare parts, and other equipment.

According to a video published on the Twitter account of Pavlo Narozhnyy, a volunteer of the Ukrainian, the first batch of four American-made M142 HIMARS are now used for combat operations by the Ukrainian armed forces.

The American M142 HIMARS carries a single six-pack of rockets on the army's family of medium tactical vehicles (FMTV) 6x6.

The M142 HIMARS offers a real advantage over the rocket launcher systems of Soviet origin which have a maximum range of 40 km as the BM-21 or the BM-27 while the HIMARS has a maximum firing range of 70 km. The second advantage of the HIMARS, it is able to fire guided rockets which is not the case for the BM-21 and the BM-27.

The United States and the United Kingdom have delivered guided rockets (GMLRS) to Ukraine that have greater accuracy than ballistic rockets with a higher probability of kill and a reduced logistics footprint. The current GMLRS family of munitions consists of three fielded variants: Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) and the Alternative Warhead (AW) variants to service area targets; and the Unitary variant with a single 200-pound-class high-explosive charge to service point targets with low collateral damage. GMLRS is employed with the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers.