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| The end of the 'Wunderwaffe'. Russian troops knocked out HIMARS systems |
| 2024-02-13 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Artemy Sharapov [REGNUM] For the first time, footage appeared on the Internet confirming the fact of the destruction of American-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Photos of the unloading of damaged vehicles of the complex from the An-124 military transport aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force were published by the American blogger Keystone Intel. Researchers later tracked the plane's route from Eastern Europe to Harrisburg Airport in the western United States. Both cars received moderate damage: one was missing a wheel, while the body of the other was broken in several places. Both complexes were delivered to one of the Lockheed Martin enterprises for repairs. This is the first published damage to the HIMARS complexes for the entire period of the SVO, although previously the Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly reported the destruction of the systems. For example, on Friday, February 9, the defeat of the complex’s base near the village of Belaya Krinitsa was officially reported to the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu. And the fact that losses in the rocket artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were published by Western sources is a bad signal for Kiev, military expert Maxim Tumbartsev noted in a commentary to Regnum news agency. The disappearance, albeit temporary, of two launchers from the theater of operations will have an impact on the capabilities of the Ukrainian army. According to the expert, the effectiveness of the HIMARS MLRS directly depends on the work of reconnaissance: satellite, which provides primary coordinates, and unmanned, which checks and clarifies these coordinates. “The front line is very large and, theoretically, for some period at a certain point the attacks may weaken. There are fewer cars left, they need to spend time moving. And there the target may change position or the guidance drone will be shot down. That is, the more vehicles, the more quickly they can move forward to strike, and vice versa,” notes Tumbartsev. DANGEROUS OPPONENT For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the loss of long-range MLRS is extremely sensitive right now. As the United States increasingly withdraws from assistance to Kyiv and slows down the process of transferring military assistance, the Ukrainian side is increasingly faced with a shortage of artillery shells. Under these conditions, the use of high-precision multiple launch rocket systems remained perhaps the last “trump card” of the Ukrainian artillery. With the failure of two vehicles at once, the firepower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will drop. The first HIMARS systems were delivered to Ukraine in the summer of 2022 and were able to significantly increase the fire capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Unlike Leopard tanks and other Western “gifts”, MLRS were able to show themselves as a formidable weapon, especially when striking infrastructure facilities in the rear. The complex is designed to strike with 227 mm caliber rockets. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also armed with a tracked version of the M270 complex, the ammunition load of which is 12 missiles. The Khimar's weapons range, as our soldiers call it, includes both unguided and guided GMLRS rockets with a range of 40 to 90 km. Can also be used to launch the MGM-140 ATACMS tactical missile with a range of up to 300 km. In particular, it was the “Hymars” that were used to strike the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson and the crossing ; with their help, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to strike at airfields, bases, command posts and other objects. As Russian air defense systems adapted to the new threat and learned to shoot down enemy missiles fired at targets in the rear, the Ukrainian Armed Forces changed the tactics of using the American miracle weapon, largely due to the efforts of Russian troops to track down and destroy it. Thus, in February 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that in the area of the city of Kramatorsk it was possible to destroy two enemy multiple launch rocket systems: M-142 and M-270 MLRS. Although the enemy, for obvious reasons, does not admit losses, the conclusion about the failure of individual vehicles can be made based on indirect signs. In January 2024, the French Ministry of Defense announced the transfer of an additional two LRU multiple launch rocket systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, an analogue of the M270 complex. New supplies were supposed to cover the shortage of weapons that arose due to the destruction of previously delivered vehicles by Russian troops. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasingly using the complex to launch the entire ammunition load of six missiles in a “packet” at once. Instead, the complexes are used to launch one or two guided missiles at a previously identified target: a cluster of equipment, a communications center, an artillery position, or a drone control point. UAV operators do not spare expensive missiles. After a single or double launch, the vehicle quickly changes its location and is moved to the rear. For the time being, this tactic yielded results, but now expensive American toys will either have to be hidden even deeper in the rear, or used even less often. THE FINDINGS ARE DISAPPOINTING Only preliminary conclusions can be drawn about the nature of the damage to both cars that arrived in the United States for repairs. One of them was clearly blown up by a mine. On the other hand, things are clearly more serious. There are several holes in the cockpit, windshield and other elements of the body, which indicates that the vehicle was hit by ammunition with a cluster warhead. “We can assume that long-range precision-guided ammunition with a cluster warhead, for example Tornado-S, was used.” Theoretically, if a Zala-421-16E type drone was operating deep in the enemy’s defense, the operator could record the work of the Highmars and bring it to a shelter, where they worked with what was at hand,” our expert believes. A number of sources suggest that high-precision aviation ammunition (missile and bomb weapon system) X-36 “Thunder” was used to destroy the complex. Thanks to the rocket engine and wings, the complex has a destruction range of up to 120 km. Previously, Ukrainian sources repeatedly reported on the use of “Grom” and demonstrated fragments of missiles used to carry out strikes at a significant distance from the front line. Theoretically, this particular ammunition could be fired at the Haymars position after receiving data from a reconnaissance drone. The nature of the damage received by each individual vehicle can only be assessed approximately based on the available photographs. However, the fact that the repairs will be carried out at the Letterkenny Army Depot in Pennsylvania, which produces the complexes, and not at one of the NATO facilities in Europe, suggests that the vehicles will be out of service for a long time. Outwardly, all this does not look scary. However, it often happens that equipment may look intact, but important components have been destroyed. For example, as a result of a mine explosion or a cluster munition attack, electronics could be damaged, the replacement of which requires serious repairs. “The duration of repairs depends on the workload of the enterprise and the availability of spare parts needed for replacement. There shouldn’t be any problems with this, since HIMARS is a serial machine and is actively being produced, and there seem to be no significant events with which the enterprise could be busy. Accordingly, repairs may take a little time. But it all depends on the severity of the damage, it can take months,” adds Tumbartsev. Experts note that HIMARS complexes, given the intensity of their use near the front line, clearly became the prey of Russian troops. However, the fact that the evacuation of cars was captured by civilian observers is a “bad signal” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to various sources, the Ukrainian troops are armed with from 20 to 40 M142 HIMARS complexes. Also, more than twenty M270 complexes were delivered to Kyiv. However, tracked launchers have significantly less mobility than wheeled ones, as a result of which they cannot be effectively used according to tactics: drove out, fired a salvo, retreated. The loss of HIMARS complexes means that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are deprived of the ability to quickly support their infantry. First of all, this creates a threat to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, in the area of the settlement of Krynki. Previously, the analytical portal Lostarmour combined data on losses for the artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region. Since November 2023, 63 cases of hits on Ukrainian artillery positions have been recorded. In approximately half of the cases, the strikes resulted in the destruction of enemy guns. Without fire support from the right bank and attacks from the Haymars, the position of the landing force is significantly deteriorating. Also, the loss of two vehicles at once reduces the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ability to use the latest “gift” from the United States - GLSDB small-diameter ground-based bombs, the delivery of which was announced by the White House in early February 2024. For Russian troops, the loss of two missile launchers from the enemy at once further increases the advantage in firepower, and on the other hand, opens up opportunities for suppressing the remaining vehicles. If the trend of methodically knocking out the Highmars one after another continues, the Ukrainians will forever lose the opportunity to launch high-precision strikes both on the line of combat contact and in the operational rear of Russian troops. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #3 Photos and video here: https://www.twz.com/news-features/situation-report-battle-damaged-himars-return-to-united-states |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-02-13 16:38 |
| #2 Looks like it was a S300 system that was destroyed (based on the released photo I saw) and not a HIMARS. There was another photo showing a HIMARS that had two flat tires and some fairly minor frag damage, but looked easily reparable. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2024-02-13 10:34 |
| #1 Where's the video? 🧐🤔 |
| Posted by: Tholuns Mussolini5133 2024-02-13 08:13 |