HIMARS, an American high-mobility operational-tactical missile and artillery system. File photoMOSCOW, Sept. 17The US Army wants to increase domestic production of 155mm NATO caliber shells, GMLR and HIMARS over the next few years amid the situation in Ukraine, Defense One reports, citing the head of the department purchases of Doug Bush's army.
«With Congressional backing, they (Army leaders) are working to triple domestic production of 155mm howitzer shells and at least double GMLR and (MLRS) HIMARS production over the next few years.» , — the publication says.
Bush noted that the measures taken will be «fundamental» to support Ukraine, as well as to «replenish» US stocks. According to him, it will take several months to a year to start producing eight HIMARS per month instead of five.
Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at the center of Kherson from HIMARSAccording to the head of the procurement department, the army still has enough weapons for training and missions. Artillery with a caliber of 155 millimeters is used by NATO countries. Also in Ukraine, under such a caliber, a wheeled self-propelled artillery mount «Bogdan» was developed and manufactured in a single copy. Earlier, the United States supplied Kyiv with long-range M-777 howitzers with a caliber of 155 millimeters, Ukrainian troops have already used them to shell cities, including Donetsk, resulting in civilian deaths. The M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) ) was developed in the USA by BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin in 1996-2000 and has been in production since 2003. Created on the basis of the US Army FMTV three-axle wheeled chassis, it can carry six rockets or one ATACMS operational-tactical ballistic missile, the effective firing range for certain types of projectiles is up to 80 kilometers. It is in service in the USA, Jordan, UAE, Romania, Singapore. Since the end of June 2022, four months after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, the HIMARS MLRS have been used by Ukrainian troops against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, as of March 25, they have completed the main tasks of the first stage — they have significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The ultimate goal of the operation, according to the supreme commander, is «the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that would guarantee the security of Russia itself.» At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that as the West pumps more and more long-range weapons into Ukraine, the geographical objectives of the special operation are moving further and further away from the current line. .jpg» />Russian forces destroyed 30 Ukrainian HIMARS and Vilkha MLRS shells