Poland Will Purchase All HIMARS It Can, says Ministry
The US Department of Defense approved the sale of nearly 500 HIMARS launchers to Poland on 7 February. The system, manufactured by Lockheed-Martin, is set to serve alongside K239 Chunmoo MLRS following the signing of an agreement with Hanwha Aerospace back in late 2022. Poland was seeking to acquire 504 MLRS modules that will be grouped in 28 battalion firing modules (BFM), each with 3 batteries containing 6 vehicles. Those plans seem to have been updated in the last week. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that:
“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Poland of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and related equipment for an estimated cost of $10 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.”
Poland has requested to procure 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, 468 HIMARS Launcher Loader Module kits, 45 M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), 461 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warhead (GMLRS-AW) pods, 521 M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary (GMLRS-U) pods and 532 XM403 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Extended Range Alternative Warhead (GMLRS-ER AW) pods.
The initial declarations made by Poland’s Armament Agency led to the conclusion that the MLRS units will share HIMARS and Chunmoo in 50/50 proportions. Polish Armed Forces wanted to acquire Korean missiles with capabilities similar to those of US production. Speaking to Radio Olsztyn Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak stated, Poland will be developing its artillery forces based on both Korean and American solutions and will purchase all of the HIMARS that the US has authorised, noting “we are currently developing artillery, including rocket artillery, because it is an effective weapon,” Błaszczak continued, “so both the Korean HIMARS equivalents and real HIMARS will be equipped in large numbers by the Polish Army.” With 218 Chunmoo MLRS on order this means that the Polish Armed Forces will obtain more than 700 MLRS launchers this decade.
The first HIMARS battalion firing module is set to arrive this year. According to the Ministry, the 16th Mechanized Division will be the first unit to receive the newest systems. The question remains whether more advanced ammunition will be ordered and what the new artillery units in Poland will look alike after the modernization reaches its final stage.
Header Image: File photo – USMC fire HIMARS during KAMANDAG 6, Oct. 2022. (USMC/Sgt. Danny Gonzalez)