US Army doubles HIMARS order to $1.9 billion
Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS has been in high demand. (Photo: US Army)
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a US$1.9 billion contract from the US Army for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) weapons doubling the original award for $861 million placed early last month.
The original deal covered work to be completed by May 2026. The new contract will push that work out to May 2028 and could be for as many as 200 systems, with the original order believed to be for about 100 systems.
HIMARS weapons have been in high demand with systems provided to Ukraine, Poland placing an order, Australia and Morocco being approved for Foreign Military Sales, Taiwan ordering more and the Netherlands requesting systems.
In April 2024, the US Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) was approved with an estimated value of $1 billion and included range of vehicles and weapons including HIMARS. The PDA was on top of the same month’s $60 billion supplemental package for Ukraine. All packages this year have included systems, rockets or both.
HIMARS was designed to launch the entire MLRS family of munitions including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) with a range of 70km, ER-GMLRS (150km), MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (300km) and Precision Strike Missiles (499km).
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
World Defense Show 2026: Saudi Arabia’s record defence spend highlights uncertain times
Saudi Arabia’s investment in its land forces, notably in the area of air defence as recently as 30 January, is a sign of the challenges the Gulf State faces, particularly the threat from Houthi rebels in Yemen.
-
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering’s Terrex s5 highlights hybrid power’s role in future warfare
Hybrid-electric drive technology may address the growing energy demands of land warfare in future.
-
CAVS rides a wave and prepares for surge requirements as orders roll in
The Common Armoured Vehicle System is continuing to rack up orders as the British Army looks likely to become an operator of the vehicle, while Italy and Ireland are also contenders.
-
US DoD task force’s DroneHunter acquisition lays groundwork for Replicator 2 CUAS strategy
As the US Department of Defense looks to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems to improve homeland security, the DroneHunter acquisition could point to future commercial innovation.
-
Land forces review: Tanks, trucks and IFVs dominate but woes remain for Ajax
This year has begun with main battle tanks taking the lead while orders for large logistics and support vehicles continued from last year. Additionally, two of the British Army’s most significant contracted vehicle programmes, Ajax reconnaissance vehicle and Challenger 3 tank, continued to make news in January.