Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) in Ukraine
HIMARS rocket launcher system, which is in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is used by Ukrainian defenders as efficiently as possible. This was announced 02 November 2023, on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel by Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political commentator of the “Information Resistance” group, commenting on the information that the “Atal” battalion of Russian invaders from Chuvashia was liquidated in Ukraine.
According to him, HIMARS always showed itself effectively at the front. “This is the most effective today’s reactive volley fire system that is present in the combat zone in Ukraine. All those MLRS that we knew before were mostly of Soviet design. These are BM-21 “Grad”, “Smerch”, “Uragan”. They are in no way comparable to HIMARS in terms of accuracy and efficiency,” said Kovalenko.
In addition, according to the reviewer, HIMARS was not included in the loss statistics. “At the same time, if we regularly see reports on the destruction of this entire nomenclature of Soviet and post-Soviet jet fire systems by both the Russian occupiers, and periodically the same is destroyed by the Defense Forces of Ukraine, the same “Hrads”, “Smerchi”, ” Hurricanes”, then M142 HIMARS and M270 – they have never been a participant in these sad statistics. That is, it is the maximum effectiveness of the use of such means, taking into account their tactical and technical characteristics,” says Kovalenko.
The M142 HIMARS system allows for the launching of multiple, precision-guided rockets. Already, the U.S. had provided eight of the systems to Ukraine and on 08 July 2022 promised to send an additional four, for a total of 12 of the systems. On 06 June 2022, the British Defense Ministry announced that it would provide Ukraine with three long-range M270 MLRS systems. On 15 June 2022, Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht announced that Germany would transfer three M270 Mittleres Artillerie Raketen System (MARS) launchers and GMLRS ammunition from Bundeswehr stocks.
Russia further adapted to the realities of the modern battlefield. Ukraine’s use of US-provided artillery systems, including the HIMARS artillery rockets, was diminished by improved Russian operational art, designed to reduced potential targets for HIMARS, and new tactical actions, such as the employment of electronic warfare capabilities designed to jam the GPS signals used to guide HIMARS to its target, and improved air defense capabilities that end up shooting down HIMARS rockets launched by Ukraine.
"Russia doesn't get a veto over what we send to the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians didn't start this war, the Russians did. The Ukrainians didn't provoke this war. This war was unprovoked. The Russians can end this conflict anytime they want. If they are wary of escalation, all it takes is one man to say stop.... The Russians engaged in this further invasion of Ukraine completely unprovoked based on a set of fabricated, largely fabricated grievances against the Ukrainians, and a denial that Ukraine even deserves to exist. So, the onus is on Russia to de-escalate. They can de-escalate anytime they want. " Dr. Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, stated 01 June 2022.
On 31 May 2022 President Biden directed the drawdown of an additional $700 million in weapons and equipment from the Department of Defense Inventories. The capabilities in this package include High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS, and guided munitions with a range of up to 70 kilometers, five counter artillery radars and variioous other spare parts and equipment. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System responds to Ukraine's top priority ask. This system will provide Ukraine with additional precision in targeting at range. These are precision guided systems with extended range.
The HIMARS, and the guided munitions that go along with them will allow Ukraine to range any target they need for that fight inside Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainians have given assurances that they will use this system for defensive purposes only.
In anticipation of this potential decision by President Biden, the Department of Defense pre-positioned the HIMARS systems in Europe to ensure that they can be rapidly delivered to the Ukrainians. And put in place a plan so that the US could start training Ukrainian forces immediately, while ensuring they learn how to operate the system safely and effectively as well as to maintain the system.
The initial tranche of HIMARS Systems was four. There was three weeks at least of training. This initial tranche allowed for training familiarization, start to get the systems in the fight. It also provided information too and the Ukrainians too about how useful they are and how they're being used on the battlefield. That'll give an assessment and then an assessment about what additional systems or capabilities they might need. The US will be in a position to rapidly surge additional munitions as appropriate in the battlefield evolves.
Lighter and easier to deploy than the older M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System or MLRS, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) can fire the same munitions as the M270 MLRS. On the battlefield, the HIMARS can therefore supplement the MLRS.
In terms of range, the HIMARS can fire guided rockets (GMLRS) with a range of 15 to 84 kilometers. The system can also launch other long-range munitions such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) that has a range of 165 kilometres and 300 kilometres for some versions. According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainians asked Washington to provide longer range ATACMS that can be used with HIMARS. But the request was denied by the Americans.
“We don’t want to take steps that widen the conflict and so some of the assurances that we’ve asked for in context of these particular systems are mindful of that, of not wanting these systems to be used to attack Russian territory,” Colin Kahl, US undersecretary of defence, told reporters. He added that the US discussed the types of munitions that would be provided with Ukrainian officials, but it was determined that the 70km GMLRS “could service any target that they needed, precisely”. The US, he said, would provide more munitions and HIMARS systems as the fighting went on if the need arose.
“I think the Americans are concerned with the correct use of these weapons as they do not want them to be used in attacking targets deep in Russian territory, like Belgorod,” said Frank Ledwidge, a former British military intelligence officer and current lecturer at Portsmouth University. “They are also concerned with these systems falling in Russian hands due to the their sensitivity.”
HIMARS were developed for fast deployment. The system contains one pod to decrease its weight and is mounted on a truck instead of an armoured, tracked vehicle to increase its speed. This renders the system capable of shoot and scoot attacks. They can therefore be deployed in a short period of time, fire precise munitions at its target, and leave the area quickly to avoid being hit by enemy fire. The HIMARS is designed to carry a small crew of three and to be reloaded in three to five minutes. Logistically, this makes them easy to transport.
Mechanised artillery is fast, cheap, relatively low-tech and manoeuvrable to avoid counter artillery fire. But apart from guided munitions, artillery is not an accurate weapon. Weather conditions, target movement, bad calculations by the crew can affect accuracy, which makes the use of artillery a numbers game. The key to the game is a high rate of fire. Unguided munitions must be launched in massive amounts to cover an entire area.
“The Russians are firing massively to destroy as much as possible while the Ukrainians need to strike precisely to avoid destroying their country,” said Trinquand. Artillery is the lifeline of the Russian army in this war as their air forces lack of precision guided munitions and their stock of cruise missiles have dwindled after excessive use in the beginning of the war.
The Russian army has consistently used its firepower to hammer every town into submission before entering it. Experts believe the Russian army possesses a healthy stock of artillery shells and Moscow is capable of producing low-tech, unguided ammunition as all its components are available domestically, thus negating sanctions’ effects.
Russia’s Achilles heel however is its logistics chain. The country’s extensive railways are used to transport the equipment the army needs to the Ukrainian border. After arriving at the border however, the Russians did not possess enough trucks to transport their military equipment to the front lines. Given the transportation challenges, the security of the arms already transported and stored in depots behind the frontline in Ukraine are critical for the Russians.
HIMARS are critical because they can target Russian munition depots and logistics, preventing Russian artillery from supporting the Russian advance in the east. “The HIMARS is considered as an interdiction weaponry, it’s meant to stop supplies from reaching the front,” said Ledwidge. “Twelve ammunition dumps have already been destroyed, any sensible commander would transport the ammo depots 80 kilometres away from the front lines, which would put constraints on the artillery, but the Russians’ lack of trucks, as well as slowness and inefficiency has stopped them from doing that,” he noted. “In fact, these dumps are very easy to detect via drones or satellite because of their massive size,” he explained.
“These systems are very relevant in attacking behind Russian lines, pushing back ammunitions’ depots and the Russian architecture for their artillery and air defence networks, they already took down several Russian command and control posts, thus disrupting the Russian chain of command,” said Niklas Masuhr, a senior researcher at the Zurich-based Centre for Security Studies (CSS). “The Russians will have to be cautious about what to put close to the front,” he added. “These systems came in a perfect moment for the Ukrainians as the Russians are regrouping to launch more attacks in the Donbas.”
The incapacity of Russian air defences to detect and intercept HIMARS fire, as well as the shortage of Russian intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, namely drones, has been notable in the Ukraine conflict. “The Russian S400 air defence system was advertised as an anti-missile system as well, but it hasn’t been able to detect or stop the HIMARS,” said Ledwidge.
On Monday, July 11, a massive explosion rocked the Ukrainian town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region in what Ukrainian military officials said was a strike on a Russian ammunition depot. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak attributed the success of the attack to the use of the US-supplied HIMARS system.
While Ukrainian officials insist the systems have been used to target “warehouses with weapons and stocks of fuel and lubricants” used by the Russian military, Moscow and Donbass authorities accused Kiev of using the weapons to shell civilian areas. Speaking at a media briefing on 14 July 2022, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Kiev forces had been using “US-supplied multiple-launch rocket systems HIMARS on all fronts” as of late. The military “has apparently been ordered by Kiev to use the said launchers against civilians without any hesitation,” she claimed, while accusing Washington of sharing intelligence on targets with Ukraine.
A Senior US Military Official reported 15 July 2022 that "I think there has been significant impact on what's going on on the front lines. If you think about the fact that the Ukrainians have been talking about a number of the targets they're hitting, you know, they're spending a lot of time striking targets like ammunition supplies, other logistical supplies, command-and-control. All those things have a direct impact on the ability to conduct operations on the front line. So I would say yes, although they're not shooting the HIMARS at the front lines, they're having a very, very significant effect on that."
Lockheed Martin will ramp up production of M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Politico reported on 18 October 2022. It follows promises by Washington to send more weapons to Ukraine. The arms manufacturer has, for many years, sponsored numerous pressure groups which advocate confrontation with Russia, such as the Atlantic Council, CEPA and the Hudson Institute. Back in the 1990s, the "US Committee to expand NATO" was led by Bruce L. Jackson, who was also director of strategic planning for Lockheed. According to the report, Taiclet said the company plans to increase production from 60 per year to 96. The move comes after Ukraine, Poland and Estonia ordered dozens of the launchers, Politico said. Taiclet added that Lockheed Martin is also considering expanding its plant in Camden, Arkansas. "We're cross-training our skilled workforce across a bunch of product lines" as demand grows for HIMARS or the M270 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System.
Washington had so far delivered 20 to Kiev. The US said October that four new HIMARS are part of the latest $625 million military aid package. Mikhail Podoliak, the head of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's office, said in August that a shipment of 50 HIMARS "would completely change the course of this war." Russia has repeatedly argued that the delivery of HIMARS and other Western weapons to Ukraine only leads to an escalation of the conflict, he said.
Just minutes after Ukraine rang in the New Year 2023, four US-made HIMARS rockets rained down on a purported school building housing Russian army recruits in the industrial town of Makiivka, in the occupied region of Donetsk. Ukraine, along with Russian military bloggers, quickly put the death toll at a staggering 400. Moscow on the other hand, first estimated it at 63, but revised it up to 89.
The New Year strike on a Russian military base in Makiivka has led to Moscow's biggest admission of loss of life since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But aside from the devastating, and still mounting, death toll, experts say the incident has exposed something even more alarming for Russia: broad incompetence and carelessness at the heart of its military command.
One of the main criticisms levied at Russia's military leadership in the wake of the attack is that too many of the newly mobilised recruits are believed to have been lodged in the same building. In addition, the base was also located far too close to enemy lines and within striking distance of Ukrainian missiles. Information also emerged suggesting the Russians stored ammunition nearby, or even in, the same building as the soldiers, possibly contributing to the enormous blast that left the premises totally completely flattened.
The success of the Ukrainian strike was also due to the use of American-made HIMARS. They are almost impossible to intercept because their flight is so short, and also because Russia doesn't haven't good enough air defence systems capable of intercepting them.
Ukraine has been forced to update the software on its Himars rockets because Russian forces had learned to jam their GPS guidance systems. Considered one of Ukraine’s most impactful weapons and credited with helping to turn the tide of the war against Russia, Himars have become less effective over the past few months, CNN reported 06 May 2023, citing a group of US, British and Ukrainian sources. One Pentagon source described the effort to outwit Russian electronic warfare experts who have been ordered to counter Himars as a game of “cat and mouse”.
On May 10, 2024 the US State Department has made a determination approving a possible emergency Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $30 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale. The Government of Ukraine has requested to buy three (3) High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). The estimated total cost is $30 million, which will be funded by the Government of Germany on behalf of Ukraine.
The Secretary of State determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Ukraine of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and respond to continued Russian aggression. This will be a sale from U.S. Army inventory. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
