M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System

	Main Article	Discussion	Related Articles  [?]	Bibliography  [?]	External Links  [?]	Citable Version  [?]
	This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer. [edit intro]

For more information, see: M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System.

A lightweight, wheeled version of the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) provides long-range heavy artillery fire in areas where traditional heavy cannon could not go. It is based on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) chassis.

On the rear is a M269 launcher, which is loaded with onrsealed munitions pods, containing either six M30 or M31 guided missiles, 227mm in diameter and 13 feet long, or one MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missile. It can fire:^[1]

• Six rockets in less than 60 seconds at up to six aimpoints.
• One missiles in less than 20 seconds at one or two aimpoints.

Beside the ATACMS, it fires the GPS-guided M30, with 402 M85 bomblets, and M31, with a large unitary high explosive warhead, missiles, with 60 mile range. Use of the M30 is minimal due to the problem of unexploded cluster munitions.

References[edit]