Speed, accuracy and range. These are the three main advantages that the M142 High Mobility Artillery Missile System promises to provide, better known as Himars for its acronym in English, which USA will send to Ukraine.
Washington’s announcement has not specified how many units of this type it is expected to send this Wednesday. However, the latest statements by President Joe Biden do allow us to foresee the type of ammunition they will carry.
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The Himars system has two artillery options: 6 x 227mm guided missiles or a load of ATACMS tactical missiles. The former have a range of up to 80 kilometers, while the latter can reach distances of up to 300 kilometers.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden signaled that his country will not send “missile systems that can hit inside Russia”, so it is expected that this package will not include ATACMS-type ammunition.
Despite this, this type of artillery is considered a precious advantage for the Ukrainian side during the clashes in the Donbas region, in the east of the country. In this area, the current epicenter of the clashes, M777 howitzer artillery batteries and their equivalent have been deployed on the Russian side.
The Himars would have a firing range close to double that of currently deployed artillery. That is, the Ukrainians might affect the Russian lines without entering their firing range.
Added to this is the GPS guidance capability of Himars missiles.
Analysts have been cautious in their predictions regarding the influence of this new weapons system that will be deployed in Ukraine; however, they recognize that they might mark a change in the course of the confrontations.
The Himars are part of the eleventh support package sent by the United States to Ukraine since February 24, when the Russian invasion began. This new round, valued at 700 million dollars, will also include helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, among others.