On August 18, 2023, the US Department of Defense Agency for Military Cooperation (Defense Security Cooperation Agency - DSCA) sent a notification to the US Congress about the planned upcoming sale to Australia through the US program of intergovernmental foreign military sales Foreign Military Sales (FMS) at the request of the Australian government of an additional number of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ground missile systems and a significant number of missiles to them are manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation. This delivery is approved by the U.S. Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery will be US$ 975 million, including missiles, and training and technical support packages.
The M142 HIMARS missile system combat vehicle from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the US Army, delivered by the Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special purpose military transport aircraft of the US Air Force to the Australian Williams Airfield during the US-Australian joint exercises Talisman Sabre 23, July 2023 (from) the US Air Force
According to the notification, the new delivery for Australia should include 22 M142 HIMARS combat vehicles, 40 six-shot transport and launch modules with GMLRS M31A1 correctable missiles with monoblock warheads (a total of 240 missiles), 60 six-shot transport and launch modules with GMLRS M30A1 Alternative Warhead (AW) missiles with a fragmentation warhead (a total of 360 missiles), 24 six-shot transport and launch modules with adjustable missiles ER GMLRS M31A2 with monoblock warheads and extended range (a total of 144 missiles), 66 six-shot transport and launch modules with adjustable missiles ER GMLRS M30A2 Alternative Warhead (AW) with fragmentation warhead and extended range (a total of 396 missiles). The delivery will also include practical RRPRP missiles, fire control and communication systems, M1084A2 HIMARS RSV transport vehicles. and other related equipment.
Earlier in 2022, Australia had already concluded an agreement with the United States on the acquisition of 20 M142 HIMARS combat vehicles through FMS. According to the relevant DSCA notification of that time dated May 2022, the first delivery with an estimated value of 385 million US dollars should include 30 six-shot transport and launch modules with GMLRS M30A2 correctable missiles (180 missiles in total - possibly an erroneous double count - see below), 30 six-shot transport and launch modules with GMLRS M30A1 Alternative Warhead missiles (AW) with a fragmentation warhead (180 missiles), 30 six-shot transport and launch modules with GMLRS M31A2 adjustable missiles with a monoblock warhead (180 missiles), 30 six-shot transport and launch modules with extended-range adjustable missiles ER GMLRS XM403 (M30A2) Alternative Warhead (AW) with a fragmentation warhead (total 180 missiles), 30 six-shot transport and launch modules with adjustable extended-range missiles ER GMLRS XM404 (M31A2) with a monoblock warhead (180 missiles in total), and 10 operational-tactical missiles ATACMS M57, as well as practical RRPRP missiles, fire control and communications systems, and other related equipment. The delivery of this batch of HIMARS complexes to Australia was planned in 2025.
Australia's purchase of HIMARS complexes is carried out within the framework of the Australian Army's Project LAND 8113 Phase 1 program, which provides for the acquisition of a high-precision missile and artillery system with a range of up to 300 km. This requirement was first formulated in the Australian Defense White Paper of 2016, for which it was planned to allocate from 750 million to 1 billion Australian dollars (from 540 to 720 million US dollars) in the period from 2023 to 2030. It should be noted that in August 2021, the US and Australian Ministries of Defense also signed a memorandum on Australia's accession to the development and acquisition of a promising American Lockheed Martin PrSM missile with a range of more than 500 km, which should also be used from M142 HIMARS launchers.
