Slaughter of the Russians. HIMARS showed itself in all its glory
7:49 PM EDT, October 19, 2023
Ukrainian artillerymen attacked a Russian ammunition depot and two Grad rocket launchers - reports the DefenseRomania portal, which refers to material published on Facebook by the 43rd Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian army.
The defending army used a Shark drone in the attack, which was used to detect Russian Grad launchers. This is a practice used on the front since the beginning of the fight. Unmanned aerial vehicle pilots often conduct reconnaissance from the air to determine the precise location of the attack. They then pass this information on to the artillerymen, who carry out the bombardment. However, sometimes in attacks, the use of artillery is bypassed, and the attack is carried out by drones equipped with explosive payloads (kamikaze drones).
"The targeting of the nearest HIMARS system took a minimal amount of time, and the flight of the rocket after launching lasted merely 120 seconds" - as reported by BulgarianMilitary.
HIMARS destroys important Russian vehicles
The destroyed BM-21 Grad launchers in Ukraine are Soviet self-propelled machines, dating back to the 1960s. They are currently one of the most popular systems of this type in the world.
The hail launcher stands out among many similar systems because it's not mounted on a tracked chassis, but a wheeled one – on the Ural-375D truck with 6x6 drive. The equipment is equipped with 40 tube guides (10 in four rows), which typically launch M-21OF missiles.
The ammunition in Grad launchers is equipped with a fragmentation-destroying warhead, and a single rocket weighs 145.5 lbs and can reach a target even 12.4 miles away. The system allows for firing a salvo of all 40 projectiles in 20 seconds.
HIMARS is a system, which, during the ongoing war in Ukraine, has repeatedly proven to be capable of eliminating even the most advanced vehicles belonging to the opponent. These multiple-launch rocket systems are produced by the American corporation, Lockheed Martin, since the late 90s of the last century. Originally, the manufacturer installs the HIMARS launchers on the chassis of the Oshkosh M1140 truck.
The standard M30/M31 missiles used by this American weapon can reach targets even up to approximately 43 miles away. It is also significant that the HIMARS are adapted for firing long-range MGM-140 ATACMS missiles, which have recently appeared in Ukraine.
