“The State Department has decided to approve a potential military sale to the Government of Lithuania of M142 HIMARS launchers and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$495 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency submitted the required certification by notifying Congress of this potential sale today,” the agency said in a press release. The agency said the planned sale will help Lithuania achieve its military goals of modernizing its military, while enhancing interoperability with the United States and other partners and helping to deter regional threats. Lithuania is one of several Eastern European states that have increased their military purchases following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In late September, the Lithuanian government allocated additional funds for the defense of the Baltic state. At the time, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defense announced that deals to purchase “HIMARS missile systems” were among the major deals the country intended to sign this year. Lithuania is one of the nations in the region planning to buy Lockheed Martin’s weapon to improve their missile artillery capabilities. Ukraine is also using US-supplied weapons to counter Russian aggression. File image: HIMARS The popularity of HIMARS has grown following its game-changing performance against Russian troops. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said the country had never had such systems. It is also pertinent to note that Lithuania’s security concerns stem from the fact that it shares a land border with Russia and is a key NATO ally. “This capability in the Lithuanian Armed Forces will require the pursuit of even higher intelligence, electronic warfare and other capabilities. Missiles of many types will be delivered, including operational-tactical ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers,” he wrote in a Facebook post. The US State Department 🇺🇸 has approved the sale of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and related equipment to Lithuania 🇱🇹 for approximately $495 million. Thank you 🇺🇸! #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/ljAMpFsaHI — Arvydas Anušauskas (@a_anusauskas) November 10, 2022 The successful deployment and operation of HIMARS in Ukraine has caused dominoes in the region. Before Lithuania, neighboring Latvia asked to buy an unspecified number of M142 HIMARS launchers. Not only that, in a surprise move, Poland announced in May that it had begun the process of acquiring 500 HIMARS units. Meanwhile, Estonia ordered six systems in July for $500 million. Faced with growing demand in Ukraine and across Europe, HIMARS manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced last month that it was ramping up production of the system. The company is poised to increase HIMARS production from its current level of 60 launchers per year to 96 launchers per year, CEO Jim Taiclet said.
HIMARS changed the fate of Ukraine’s military operations
The HIMARS MLRS allowed Ukraine to quickly launch precision strikes at standoff distances without the requirement for air power, compensating for the country’s smaller air force. Using long-range HIMARS missiles, Ukrainian forces managed to decimate hundreds of Russian positions and ammunition storage facilities far from the front lines. The system has undoubtedly unnerved Russian battlefield commanders, who have voiced their concerns on several occasions. In his first interview since assuming command recently, Russia’s General Sergei Surovykin acknowledged that the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern province of Kherson had put the Russian military in a “difficult” situation. The Ukrainian attack, led mainly by HIMARS, pounded the Russian positions and caused them to retreat. File image: HIMARS via Twitter A lighter version of the bulkier, armored M270 multiple launch missile system, HIMARS, is designed to be deployed on a truck. While Ukraine’s vehicles are equipped with a guided multiple launch missile system that can fire six GPS-guided missiles at a range of 50 miles, HIMARS is also capable of launching the Army’s Tactical Missile, which has a significantly longer range. HIMARS is extremely accurate when used against fixed targets with precise coordinates. However, it is ineffective against moving objects such as troops. Therefore, an advance cannot be stopped. However, according to some reports, Ukrainian forces have begun to deploy these systems against moving convoys, albeit in a limited manner. Since the beginning of the total invasion, Ukraine has not lost a single HIMARS, but Russia has lost its humanity and dignity. Not to mention hundreds of thousands of tons of ammunition and thousands of soldiers sent to certain death. pic.twitter.com/VXNFxJQYJD — Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 6, 2022 While Russia claims to have destroyed several of these US systems, a senior Defense Department official recently told Politico that Russia has failed to destroy a single HIMARS launcher since Ukraine first began using them in June. Instead, Ukraine has used HIMARS to destroy several critical Russian infrastructure, including bridges that cut into the heart of Russian logistics.
