HIMARS is the Game-changer!
‘The Russians have nothing equivalent’: How HIMARS help Ukraine
Aljazeera by John Psaropoulos ~ July 26, 2022
HIMARS: The Rocket Weapon Creating Chaos For Russia In Ukraine ~ September 3, 2022
The M142 HIMARS, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems supplied to Ukraine by the United States, have become a symbol of Russian vulnerability.
In the occupied southern Kherson oblast, posters appeared in July featuring a picture of a HIMARS system and words threatening retribution on the Russians for “looting, killing, rape, destruction.”
Now, the Eastern European countries most worried about a future Russian attack are arming themselves.
Poland and the Baltic States have drawn the lesson that they are among the most effective weapons in stopping the Russian advance in Ukraine, and are ordering hundreds of launch systems at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced on May 26 that he had requested 500 HIMARS launchers plus ammunition – an enormous number which he said would involve extensive co-production.
Estonia would buy six launchers and ammunition worth $500m, the US Department of State said on July 15. Latvia made public its request for $300m in launchers and rockets a week later. And Lithuania is expected to follow suit.
“The agreement to unblock Odesa would have been impossible without HIMARS. It’s now very clear that the war will end earlier if we arm Ukraine faster,” Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on July 22, referring to Russia’s agreement to allow Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea.
“The Baltics will become a single theatre of war for Russia,” said Estonian defence minister Kusti Salm, explaining the regional coordination on defence procurements.
Latvia and Estonia have talked about acquiring the latest, 300km ATACMs (Army Tactical Missiles) for their launchers. From the Estonian border, these would easily be able to strike St Petersburg.
From Latvia, they would be able to hit halfway to Moscow, impeding any invasion force long before it reached the border.
From the Polish and Lithuanian borders, they could strike almost anywhere on the territory of Belarus, Moscow’s only regional ally, whose territory was used as a marshalling ground to attack Kiyv.
“We will force our enemy to hike the price of aggression. If they know we can destroy certain kinds of targets, they will have to start looking for alternative solutions. However, those are notably more expensive.
Attacking Estonia, Baltic countries and NATO will become a lot more complicated and expensive for the enemy,” said Salm.
The United States’s armed forces are to bring an even more advanced HIMARS-launched rocket, the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), with a 500km (310-mile) range, into the field next year. Should that be supplied to regional allies, they would be able to hit in the vicinity of Moscow.
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China’s Version of HIMARS Could Be ‘Game Changer’ if Beijing Attacks Taiwan
Newsweek by Zoe Strozewski ~ May 8, 2022
Along-range Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) that has been described as China’s version of the HIMARS could be a “game changer” in a potential direct conflict with Taiwan, according to one expert.
Lyle Goldstein, the director of Asia Engagement at the Defense Priorities think tank, shared pictures from the Chinese television channel CCTV-7 on Twitter Friday that he said showed the MLRS being fired in the Taiwan Strait on August 4.
“They might not look as impressive as the missiles shot over Taiwan, but these systems could be the game changer,” he wrote, referencing China’s ongoing military drills around Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to the island this week. “This is economical firepower and implies thousands of strikes per day, ranging the whole island.”
When asked whether he agreed that the Chinese MLRS could be its version of HIMARS, Goldstein told Newsweek that he did, saying that he believes the systems are very similar, but it can depend on the accuracy of each.
“And part of the reason it’s so accurate is, I think, the intelligence,” Goldstein said. “In other words, all of the thinking that goes into where they want to put it has been excellent.”
He added that he believes Chinese weapons would also be supported by a “huge intelligence system” and see success similar to what HIMARS have seen. China’s MLRS would probably have “comparable accuracy” to U.S. HIMARS as well, Goldstein added, noting that versions of the Weishi systems are guided.
Joel Huan
The Mystery of Ephraim 