A Ukrainian HIMARS (high mobility artillery rocket system) a multiple rocket launcher, given to Kiev by the United States has been destroyed in Russia’s Donbass. The HIMARS rocket launcher is a flexible, affordable, and highly effective precision fire system designed to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.
The HIMARS systems have been widely celebrated by Ukraine as an ultimate weapon. The launchers have been systematically used by Kyiv’s forces against civilian targets and critical infrastructure in Donbass and elsewhere, including with controversial anti-personnel shrapnel munitions.
HIMARS launchers, as well as their heavier, tracked counterpart the M270, have been supplied by the U.S. and other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies to Ukraine since summer 2022. While multiple systems have been reported destroyed during the hostilities, the new video is the clearest footage to date of one being completely taken out.
Russia Has Destroyed 1/3 Of U.S. Supplied Armored Fighting Vehicles Sent To Ukraine
According to videos circulating online, the explosion sparked multiple fires in the vicinity and completely obliterated the vehicle itself.
The video, shot by a surveillance drone, emerged on Tuesday, according to a report by RT. The HIMARS launcher was reportedly knocked out in the vicinity of the Ukrainian-controlled town of Dobropolye, more than 40km from the front line.
The launcher, as well as two other Ukrainian vehicles, was detected near a wooded area just as it apparently was being readied to fire. It was hit by an unspecified projectile, which caused the detonation of its ammo stock, as well as the uncontrolled launch of its missiles.
There is no information as to what Russia used to take out the HIMARS system, however, it was likely struck by guided munitions fired from a Russian Tornado-S multiple rocket launcher system. The 300mm Tornado-S fills a similar niche to the HIMARS and is widely regarded as Russia’s response to the U.S.-made platform.
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