Australia and Canada approved for $2.5 billion HIMARS buys
Australia received its first HIMARS in March and has been approved to buy more. (Photo: author)
Australia already operates M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) after receiving first units in March and conducting the first firings in August. Canada’s order comes in the face of a commitment from the government to move away from US products.
The US State Department has approved the sale of 26 HIMARS to Canada and a further 48 for Australia. Despite the Canadian order being for a smaller number of systems, it is worth US$1.75 billion compared to $705 million for Australia, although this is largely because of included ancillary systems and missiles as well as it being Canada’s first order.
The Australian approval was granted on 30 September and has been notified to the US Congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The Canadian approval was granted on 1 October with identical notification provided.
The Canadian request is for the
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Land Warfare
-
![Details revealed on Serbia’s M-84 improved tank]()
Details revealed on Serbia’s M-84 improved tank
The former Yugoslavia built a version of the Russian T-72 main battle tank under the local designation of the M-84. Hundreds of these remain in service with Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Kuwait.
-
![Development of Serbia’s upgraded Pasars-16 air defence system completed but in limbo]()
Development of Serbia’s upgraded Pasars-16 air defence system completed but in limbo
The standard Pasars mobile air defence system has been in service with the Serbian Army for several years and was developed by the Serbian Military Technical Institute.
-
![Getting the most from open-architecture solutions in defence]()
Getting the most from open-architecture solutions in defence
What are the best practices for maximising the benefits of open-architecture technology for military applications?
-
![Engineering and design mean smaller vehicles can be tank killers but is it a good idea?]()
Engineering and design mean smaller vehicles can be tank killers but is it a good idea?
The eulogy for the dedicated tank hunter or buster appears to have been written with most armies putting them out to retirement in the face of alternatives like longer-range missiles or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). However, arming infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) or armoured personnel carriers (APCs) with medium-range missiles seems to indicate some kind of tank killer is required.
