The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Italy of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $400 million. The proposed sale will improve Italy’s capability to meet current and future threats and enhance its interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces. Italy 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. The Government of Italy has requested to buy twenty-one (21) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); and one (1) M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive (HE) Pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS).
Also included are Universal Fielding Modules; towbar toolkits and sets; crypto-fill cable; AN/PRC-158 Multi-Channel Tactical Radio installation kits; Multi-Channel AN/PRC-158 radios; RF-7800i CU100 radio router; HARRIS installation kits for 160W high frequency (HF) radio system; HF AN/PRC-160W-HF radios; Simple Key Loader (SKL) AN/PYQ-10 (C); RF-7800i Tactical Intercom System installation kit; RF7800i Tactical Intercom System; Fire Control Panel Trainer (FCPT) hardware and software; Missile Common Test Device Trainer (MCTD-T), slim; RF-7800i Tactical Intercom System training hardware; RF-7800i and CU100 training rigs, test equipment, and Golden System for operator and maintenance training; Launcher Adapter Group (LAG) and Sling; Launcher Control Unit (LCU); Weapons Control Unit (WCU); MCTD V.4 hardware and spares; MCTD V.4 software and publications; spare parts; Launch POD/container (LP/C) trainer M68A2; GMLRS-U flight surveillance kit; and other related elements of program and logistic support.
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 U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck frame. The HIMARS carries one pod with either six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets or one Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile. It is based on the U.S. 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 C-17 Globemaster, C-5 Galaxy, and Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. The FMTV truck that transports the HIMARS was produced by the Oshkosh Corporation from 2010 to 2017
Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) 227 mm rockets have an extended range and add GPS-aided guidance to their Inertial Navigation System. GMLRS rockets were introduced in 2005 and can be fired from the M270A1 and M270A2, the European M270A1 variants (British Army M270B1, German Army MARS II, French Army Lance Roquette Unitaire (LRU), Italian Army MLRS Improved (MLRS-I), Finnish Army M270D1), and the lighter M142 HIMARS launchers. GMLRS rockets were introduced in 2005 and the M30 and M31 rockets are, except for their warheads, identical. As of 1 December 2021 50,000 GMLRS rockets have been produced,] with yearly production now exceeding 9,000 rockets. Each rocket pod contains 6 identical rockets. Both Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army report that the GMLRS has a maximum range of 70+ km (43+ mi). M31A2 rockets with 200 lb (91 kg) high-explosive unitary warhead. Range: 15–92 km (9.3–57.2 mi). Improved M31A1 with Insensitive Munition Propulsion System (IMPS). Only M31 variant in production since 2019.
