Joe Biden has announced that the US will send advanced missile systems to Ukraine. The new weapon is the Himars rocket launcher, or MLRS: a mobile unit that can launch multiple guided missiles simultaneously with precision.
Both Ukraine and Russia already operate MLRS, but Himars has a higher rank and accuracy.
What system will the US offer?
The M142 Himars (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) system is a modernized, lighter and more agile version mounted on the runway of the M270 MLRS mounted on the runway developed in the 1970s for US forces. and allies.
The Himars that Washington is providing to Ukraine will have a range of about 50 miles (80 km), a U.S. official told reporters.
Himars units carry a pre-loaded 227 mm guided missile capsule (the M270 carries two capsules), or a large capsule loaded with an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) tactical missile. The US will not supply ATACMS in Ukraine, which has a range of 300 km.
With a small crew, the Himar can pull out a worn-out pod and load a fresh one in a matter of minutes, without other vehicles helping. Crews will need some training.
The U.S. military already has Himars units in Europe; and NATO allies, Poland and Romania, have acquired the systems.
Why are they valuable?
Himars will give Ukrainian forces the ability to attack further behind Russian lines, and at better protected distances from Russia’s long-range weapons.
The GPS-guided missiles fired by Himars are about twice as powerful as the M777 shells that the U.S. recently supplied to Ukrainian forces.
At about 80 km, it usually puts Himars out of the reach of Russian artillery, while endangering Russian batteries.
Himars system during a landing exercise at Spilva airfield in Riga, Latvia, October 25, 2021. Photo: Toms Kalniņš / EPA
It could also threaten Russian supply depots, amid Western belief that Russian forces are suffering from logistical problems.
Some analysts have said that Himars may be a “game changer” in the war at a time when Ukrainian forces appear to be fighting under Russian artillery fire.
But others say Himars will not change things all of a sudden. “The Himar even the playing field,” said a senior U.S. defense official.
Why is Washington limiting its scope?
The US president wrote in the New York Times that advanced rockets would allow Ukrainians to “more accurately attack key targets on the Ukrainian battlefield.”
However, the US plans to limit the range of missiles it offers in Ukraine to prevent them from being used to hit targets inside Russia.
“We will not send rocket systems to Ukraine that could attack Russia,” Biden said.
Since Russia invaded on February 24, the United States has been sensitive in taking any action to support Kyiv that could cause Moscow to wage war beyond Ukraine’s borders.
This has included not openly supporting Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory. Ukraine has repeatedly used its own rockets, drones and helicopters to hit Russian targets near the neighboring provinces of Kursk and Belgorod.
If the US provided ATACMS, it would theoretically have the capability to attack major Russian urban centers and military bases, including airfields from which attacks are launched in Ukraine.
“[The] The Ukrainians have assured that they will not use these systems against Russian territory, “said a US official.