The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on May 26 that Australia has applied for 20 Lockheed Martin M142 High Mobility Rocket Launcher Systems (HIMARS) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism.
The agency said the 20 M142 launchers and related weapons and equipment were worth up to $385 million, though the deal still needs to be approved by Congress.
In addition to the M142 launcher, the proposed deal includes 30 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS); 30 Alternative Warhead (AW) pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS); 30 M31A2 GMLRS with IMPS One-piece high-explosive pods; 30 XM403 extended-range GMLRS AW pods; 30 EM404 ER GMLRS one-piece pods; and ten M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
The M142 HIMARS is based on the 5-tonne FMTV XM1140A1 truck chassis and can be equipped with six 227mm guided rocket pods or one 610mm ATACMS pod depending on mission requirements. This model was procured to meet the long-range firepower requirements of the Australian Army under Project Land 8113 Phase 1.
When armed with 227mm guided rockets, HIMARS can attack threats at distances in excess of 70km. The ATACMS capability extends its potential range to 300 kilometers. Designed to support early and forced-entry expeditionary operations, the system combines high-capacity destructive, suppressive, and counter-battery fires, and can be transported by medium-sized transport aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-130.
Australia and the US are also jointly developing long-range weapons for HIMARS under the US Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) programme. Canberra agreed to provide $54 million in 2021 to help improve the lethality, range and target engagement of the baseline PrSM.
Final specifications for the PrSM have not been finalized, but a prototype missile achieved a range of about 400 kilometers in May 2021 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
by Jr Ng
