
USAF passes targeting data to HIMARS inside Boeing C-17
The US Air Force (USAF) has downloaded target information to a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) while it was being carried inside a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft.

Double the HIMARS payload in exchange for no crew.So basically a HIMARS without a cab?
No surprise here: Possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Australia of HIMARS Launchers and related equipment
500lb you mean. It's well within what is legal under the MTCR (even though what's legal has long since been forgotten in this war).300km and 500kg warhead brushes up against the missile technology control regime; not sure if that is right on the line or just over it. In any case clearly AFU could reach deep into Russian cities and bases with that American missile and that could provoke an escalation outside Ukraine, or potentially even a nuclear first use. I'm sure they'll have plenty to shoot at inside the 70km mark.
The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was established in April 1987[2] by the G7 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The MTCR was created in order to curb the spread of unmanned delivery systems for nuclear weapons, Specifically, delivery systems that can carry a payload of 500 kg for a distance of 300 km.
Following Biden’s announcement, the UK has reportedly asked the US to sign off on a plan to send advanced, medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine within a few weeks. Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, spoke with Biden about the transfer of US-made M270 multiple launch rocket systems this morning, which will be followed by a discussion between his foreign secretary, Liz Truss, and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on Thursday, Politico cited a source as saying.
The UK will send its first long-range missiles to Ukraine after Russia struck the outskirts of Kyiv for the first time since April.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain will send an unspecified number of M270 launchers, which can fire precision-guided rockets up to 50 miles – a longer range than any missile technology currently in use in the war.
Ukraine said on Thursday it had received U.S. supplies of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a powerful long-range weapon system that Kyiv hopes can help turn the tide on Russia's invasion.
MOSCOW, July 6 (Reuters) - Russia's armed forces have destroyed two advanced U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems and their ammo depots in eastern Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry said Russia had destroyed two launchers for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that the United States and its allies have been supplying to Kyiv.
It also said Russian forces destroyed two ammunition depots storing rockets for the HIMARS near the frontline in a village south of Kramatorsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region - the main focus for Russian troops following the capture of Luhansk over the weekend.
The ministry released video footage which it said showed the strike. Reuters could not independently verify the strike.
WARNING! RUSSIAN FAKE
Russian propagandists are actively spreading false reports about the alleged destruction of the American HIMARS artillery system.
We emphasize that these messages do not correspond to reality and are nothing more than another Russian fake.
Not a very clear video. In the first part the missile misses where the crosshairs are pointing. Ukraine has denied it.
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AFU denies info spread by Russian propagandists about alleged destruction of HIMARS
The message about the alleged destruction of the American artillery system HIMARS, which Russian propagandists are actively spreading, does not correspond to reality, the press center of the Joint Forces Group said.interfax.com.ua
In FY2017, the U.S. Army directed the program office to modernize 160 obsolete, unserviceable MLRS M270A0s to M270A2s in an effort called MLRS Fleet Expansion. In addition to MLRS Fleet Expansion, the U.S. Army decided to extend the operational life of the existing M270A1 fleet until FY2050 or beyond, which drives the requirement to upgrade the current fleet of 225 M270A1 launchers to the M270A2 configuration. The end state is 385 MLRS launchers with Improved Armored Cabs (IAC), Bradley commonality improvements, and Common Fire Control System (CFCS). Upon application of the IAC Modification Kit to an M270A1, the launcher permanently becomes an M270A2.
I wouldn't bet on accurate information being right out in the public for the other guy's consumption.That is far enough out of the published envelope of the M30/31 series that I have to assume it is inaccurate information. That would be a 30%+ increase over the published range, and while a GLMRS-ER round has been tested I don't think it is even in production yet.
The c/s area of GMLRS-ER is <50% greater than GMLRS and the length is the same. So the difference in range should only be about 50%.That is far enough out of the published envelope of the M30/31 series that I have to assume it is inaccurate information. That would be a 30%+ increase over the published range, and while a GLMRS-ER round has been tested I don't think it is even in production yet.
OTOH, until the Ukranians let it slip by accident nobody knew for sure that GMLRS could hit moving targets... And Javelin has a much bigger range than officially published...That is far enough out of the published envelope of the M30/31 series that I have to assume it is inaccurate information. That would be a 30%+ increase over the published range, and while a GLMRS-ER round has been tested I don't think it is even in production yet.
I'm honestly surprised the US hasn't done that (officially), because it's very doable.OTOH, until the Ukranians let it slip by accident nobody knew for sure that GMLRS could hit moving targets...
Doesn't actually seem that way TBH. Without getting wet 90km is about the closest they could have been, and that would involve parking the MLRS right on the frontline, which seems like a bad idea.There are places they could have fired from closer than 97 km away, it seems. That map is at best a guess if not some deliberate disinfo.
OTOH, until the Ukranians let it slip by accident nobody knew for sure that GMLRS could hit moving targets... And Javelin has a much bigger range than officially published...
IOW, don't believe the brochures.
The Army is also analyzing "seeker" technology for the GMLRS which would give the weapon the ability to hit a moving target, Rice said.
.....
The Army could use a seeker for the GMLRS similar to the one used on the now-in-development Joint Air Ground Missile, Rice indicated.
The reliable, all-weather rocket uses GPS guidance as well as an internal measurement unit (IMU) to hone in on targets from stand-off distances; in some instances the weapon has been used out to ranges exceeding 90 kilometers, Rice said.
Right. And those who make a point of exposing and super-publicizing it, be it daftness or malice,Friendly Reminder that the US Military has no reason to tell the...
COMPLETE truth bout its gear abilities.
Since these type of small surprises can, has, and will come in handy in war.
Just to be clear, I only linked a post that had already been made on twitter. As a rule of thumb, if something is on twitter the damage is already done.Right. And those who make a point of exposing and super-publicizing it, be it daftness or malice,
are simply undermining them and helping their enemy.
They probably do it more to show off their "savvy", but they only advertize their lack of responsibility.
Loose lips, in times of war...
Unfortunately the sense of responsibility has not progressed as fast as the social media reach.
Really, guys. It's too late for this tidbit, but next time please consider whether you really really want to help Putin and his invation. Yes, your freedom of expression, yes your desire to show off, yes yes. Are they worth helping him?
There's mention on wiki of MMW seekers for Excalibur shells too, so it would seem crazy if they hadn't considered such options for MLRS rockets.And likewise, what I posted was in a 10-year-old official Army publication. Should not be new news to anyone who goes beyond Wiki for source material.