Three Baltic states agreed on joint use of HIMARS rocket systems

Defense Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have agreed on the future joint use of HIMARS rocket systems.

Following the trilateral meeting in Riga on January 18-19, a declaration was signed.

The Estonian Ministry of Defense reported on this.

The purpose of the declaration is to create a framework for the joint use of these weapons systems in both peacetime and wartime.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have ordered a total of 20 M142 HIMARS high mobility artillery rocket systems from the United States that will be armed with GMLRS missiles with a range of up to 84 km, as well as M57 ATACMS short-range tactical ballistic missiles.

These weapon systems will significantly expand the combat capabilities of armed forces of Baltic states. They will allow ballistic missiles to hit targets at a range of up to 300 km.

Given the range of the ATACMS missiles, the target area includes Russia’s Kaliningrad and Pskov regions, St. Petersburg, and the entire northern part of Belarus, including Minsk.

HIMARS

M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) uses a 6-wheel chassis of an M1140 FMTV tactical truck.

The system can be used as a rocket launcher with ammunition of different ranges and as a tactical missile system.

HIMARS is designed to target locations of artillery systems, air and fire support, cargo transport, combat vehicles, and armored personnel carriers, and to provide fire support.

ATACMS

The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missile system is designed to hit point targets such as command posts, missile launchers, air defense facilities, communication nodes, and depots located deeply within the enemy’s defenses.

The M270 and M142 launchers are used to launch a missile. The system has an MGM-140B missile with a maximum flight range of up to 300.