Romania received the American M142 HIMARS complexes. Yesterday, March 2, portal defence-blog.com He reported that the first batch of rocket launchers had already arrived in the country and was being sent to the 81st Tactical Operational Missile Battalion stationed in Fokshany.
The Romanian Defense Ministry requested 54 HIMARS installations from the United States with a set of missiles, auxiliary equipment and service services. So, the order includes 162 GMLRS missiles with two types of combat units, 54 ATACMS missiles, 24 fire control systems, 30 HMMWV armored off-road vehicles, as well as loading vehicles, trailers for transporting missiles, technical assistance vehicles and other auxiliary equipment. The total order amount is $1.25 billion.
Unloading of M142 HIMARS complexes in Romania
Image source: defence-blog.com
The M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a highly mobile rocket and artillery system for operational and tactical purposes. It was created in the 90s by Lockheed Martin Corporation in partnership with BAE Systems and has been mass-produced since 2003. HIMARS is developed on the basis of the FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles) wheeled chassis weighing 5 tons. The basic ammunition for the M142 is MLRS missiles (M26, GMLRS, AT-2 and others) with a firing range of up to 70 km.
The M142 can also be equipped with a launcher for a single ATACMS (Army TACtical Missile System) missile. There are a large number of modifications of these missiles, some of which can be equipped with a cluster warhead with 950 combat elements and a range of up to 300 km. In addition, the M142 can be used as a launcher for the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, which were originally developed for American fighter jets. Thus, the M142 can not only hit ground targets and set minefields, but also destroy enemy air assets.
