The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Poland of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and related equipment for an estimated cost of $10 billion. The Republic of Poland has requested to buy 18 M142 HIMARS launchers; 468 HIMARS Launcher Loader Module kits; 45 M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS); 461 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warhead (GMLRS-AW) pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS); 521 M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary (GMLRS-U) pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS); and 532 XM403 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Extended Range Alternative Warhead (GMLRS-ER AW) pods.
Also included are Low Cost Reduced Range Practice Rockets; support equipment; communications equipment; spare and repair parts; test sets; batteries; laptop computers; publications and technical data; facility design; personnel training and equipment; systems integration support; Quality Assurance Teams and a Technical Assistance Fielding Team; United States Government and contractor engineering and logistics personnel services; training; sensors; and other related elements of logistics and program support. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.
The proposed sale will improve Poland’s military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. Poland intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Poland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Grand Prairie, TX. Implementation of this proposed sale will require U.S. Government or contractor representatives to travel to Poland for program management reviews to support the program.
The M142 HIMARS (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard United States Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) truck frame. The HIMARS carries one pod with either six GMLRS rockets or one ATACMS missile. It is based on the United States Army’s FMTV five-ton truck, and is capable of launching all rockets specified in the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions (MFOM). HIMARS ammunition pods are interchangeable with the M270 MLRS; however, it is limited to a single pod as opposed to the standard two for the M270 and its variants. The launcher can be transported by Airbus A400M Atlas[10] and Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.
