The Russian military says it destroyed four rocket launchers supplied by the US to Ukraine. That is one third of the HIMARS rocket launchers sent to Ukraine. Four of the US-supplied HIMARS rocket artillery launchers and one of their support vehicles have been destroyed over the past three weeks of fighting in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Friday. The US sent 12 launchers earlier this month, and said on Friday it would provide Kiev with four more.
“High-precision strikes with land- and air-based missiles destroyed four HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems and one ammunition and reloading vehicle between July 5 and July 20,” General Igor Konashenkov said in a daily briefing.
Two of the launchers were destroyed near the settlement of Malotaranovka, south of Kramatorsk. Another, alongside the support vehicle, was destroyed near Krasnoarmeysk – known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk. The final one was destroyed on the eastern outskirts of Konstantinovka, the Defense Ministry specified. All three locations are on territory claimed by the Donetsk People’s Republic but under the control of Ukrainian troops.
The US provided Kiev with eight High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) last month, to replace rocket artillery lost in the conflict with Russia. The Malotaranovka strike was widely publicized on July 5, but the subsequent two strikes had not been previously mentioned.
Earlier on Friday, the White House confirmed that four additional HIMARS launchers, 580 suicide drones and thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition would be sent to Ukraine as part of the $270 million “security assistance” package.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine has lost over 760 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and more than 3,100 artillery pieces since the beginning of hostilities in February.
Intelligence Says West Doesn’t Trust HIMARS Completely To Ukraine: Operated By NATO Military, Guarded By Mercenaries Near Pentagon
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) operated by the Ukrainian military is said to be manned by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military personnel, with information about the advanced weapons operating system not being transferred to Kyiv due to lack of trust, Russian security sources told Sputnik, citing intelligence received from sources within the Ukrainian military.
“According to information received from sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, at least two HIMARS are operating in the southern area, with the remaining 10 scattered in the northern arc, in an active hostilities area in Donbass,” said the source who requested anonymity, citing Sputnik News July 22.
“The artillery installation crew is manned by unstaffed NATO military personnel, and manned by private military contractors close to the Pentagon,” the source added.
The source further indicated that targets were selected using US military satellites, and HIMARS operated in a Hit and Run manner, rapidly changing their position after firing to avoid retaliation, and never returning to the position where they had previously been deployed.
In addition, the source said that whenever HIMAR salvos are launched, they are protected by several additional salvos from less sophisticated artillery, such as the Uragan and Smerch, with the aim of meeting Russian air defenses and depleting ammunition before HIMARS is launched. HIMARS called moving moved and fired in the middle of the night.
“Ukrainian MLRS crews participating in joint strikes knew nothing about their joint operations with HIMARS, and often did not even realize they were the cover for HIMARS launches. They were only informed of the launch time and the coordinates of the target,” the source said.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the US was considering Kiev’s request to provide Ukraine with long-range munitions for its HIMARS, but the existing shells also dealt a powerful blow.
“The range of HIMARS, our GMLRS lap, is 80 kilometers, so that’s a pretty good range. It has made it possible and will continue to allow [Ukraine] to pursue long-range targets that they cannot reach,” said Defense Secretary Austin.
Known, developed in the 1990s by Lockheed Martin and introduced into service with the US military in 2010, HIMARS has a unit cost of 5.6 million US dollars, and at least 540 systems have been built.
Together with the United States and Ukraine, the system has been ordered or used by Australia, Estonia, Jordan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Prior to use in Ukraine, HIMARS was used in the US war of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan and was deployed in US-occupied Syria.
The system’s effective firing range varies dramatically depending on the shells used, ranging from 2-92 km for standard rounds, and 300 km for the US Army’s Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov recently expressed confidence that NATO will eventually provide Kyiv with 300 km of ammunition.