Poland approves acquisition of nearly 500 HIMARS systems

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has said that Poland has agreed to buy 486 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers from the United States.

“The deliveries of American MLRS will begin at the end of 2025. The minister notes that Poland needs precisely this number of launchers to deter potential aggressors,” RBC-Ukraine quotes Blaszczak as saying.

According to the minister, along with the 18 launchers ordered in 2019 - one division, the Polish army will have over 500 HIMARS launchers in 28 divisions.

Adapting and integrating HIMARS with Polish systems will be a complex process, lasting two years after the delivery of the MLRS, he added.

HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a highly mobile multiple-launch rocket system. It was developed in the US by BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin in 1996-2000 and has been in production since 2003. The US has also been supplying these systems as part of military aid packages for Ukraine since the summer of 2022.

The range of HIMARS is up to 480 kilometres, depending on the missiles used. The peculiarity of the system is that it can deploy, fire shots and leave in a few minutes.