Missile system from North Texas-based defense contractor hailed as Ukraine ‘game changer’

A missile system produced by a North Texas-based defense contractor has become a “game changer” for Ukraine as it continues its struggle to repel the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy credits the weapons for helping to “speed up the liberation” of Ukraine, leaving Russia scrambling to find a way to counter the missile system that a senior Pentagon official says has become “the most hunted things in all of Ukraine” by the invaders.

Most recently, Ukrainian troops used the American-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to knock out a strategic bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region, officials said Wednesday.

That follows Ukraine officials crediting the mobile missile launchers with destroying 50 Russian ammunition depots in an eastern front of the war, not just disrupting Russia’s advance in the Donbas region, but also possibly opening the door for a counteroffensive. The Institute for the Study of War said in its daily report Sunday on the fighting that a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern Kherson region might already have begun, thanks to help from HIMARS.

The report by the Washington think tank also attributes a sharp reduction in Russian artillery barrages on the main Donbas front since July 15 to the multiple rocket launch systems that have a range of 50 miles.

All told, U.S. military officials have said HIMARS has been used by Ukraine to destroy as many as 100 high-value targets, including command posts and air defense sites.

The Pentagon buys HIMARS from Grand Prairie-based Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, which builds the system in Arkansas. The North Texas-based division develops and manufactures advanced missile systems and sensors for the military.

Lockheed calls the system the “most technically advanced, affordable and sustainable artillery solution.”

Lockheed Martin’s second-quarter report saw an increased operating profit of $40 million, compared to the same period in 2021, with the company citing HIMARS as one of the tactical and strike missile programs “primarily attributable” for the increased sales, Newsweek reported.

In another development Tuesday, a coalition of three Baltic states — Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania – have requested discussions to buy additional HIMARS, Defense News reported, reflecting the growing list of Eastern European countries who intend to use the weapon to boost artillery capacities amid the threat of Russian aggression.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters recently that there’s no question Ukraine’s use of the HIMARS was “degrading” Russia’s capabilities, adding that Moscow’s troops had not yet destroyed any of the rocket systems. Russia disputes that claim, contending that it has destroyed several HIMARS launchers.

The popularity of the systems has even become a meme on social media: Is it HIMARS o’clock? And there’s a song and video posted on Facebook by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian news organization Pravda reported Wednesday that Americans have “a very unpleasant surprise” coming from Russia for the HIMARS system. “The American system has been hacked,” Pravda quoted Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov as saying in an interview on state-owned Russian television. And, he asserted that Russia has a “secret development” to deploy against HIMARS. U.S. officials typically dismiss such Russian media reports as propaganda.

“These strikes [from the HIMARS] are steadily degrading the Russian ability to supply their troops, command and control of their forces, and carry out their illegal war of aggression,” Milley said.

The HIMARS has greater range, much more precision and a faster rate of fire than the Soviet-designed Smerch, Uragan and Tornado rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine. The weapons were among the billions of dollars in Western military aid that has helped Ukraine fight off the Russians since the Feb. 24 invasion.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that the U.S. decision to provide more HIMARS hardware and training for troops to use them is vital to Ukraine’s success. After a recent meeting with his security chiefs, he said, “We have a significant potential for the advance of our forces on the front, and for the infliction of significant new losses on the occupiers.”

Ukraine’s defense minister, Okeksii Reznikov, has been praising HIMARS’ effectiveness against Russia, thanking U.S. leaders on Twitter earlier this month and saying the rocket systems “have already made a HUUUGE difference on the battlefield.”

He tweeted Monday that the military personnel trained by the U.S. to operate the system can “use HIMARS very precisely — they work like a surgeon with a scalpel.”

Previously, Reznikov also tweeted “Happy Independence Day” greetings to the American people on July 4, saying Ukraine “will always remember your support in our struggle for freedom.” Singling out the missile systems, he added, “Probably the best example of this is HIMARS which became a game changer at the front lines.”

Latest Ukraine aid package

The White House announced earlier this month that the U.S. is sending an additional $270 million in security assistance to Ukraine, a package that will include additional medium range rocket systems and tactical drones.

The latest tranche brings the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine by the Biden administration to $8.2 billion and is being paid for through $40 billion in economic and security aid for Ukraine approved by Congress in May.

The new package includes four HIMARS and will allow Kyiv to acquire up to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones, both crucial in overcoming Russian artillery supremacy, according to John Kirby, the White House National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications. The latest assistance also includes some 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and additional ammunition for the HIMARS.

“The president has been clear that we’re going to continue to support the government of Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes,” Kirby said.

Russia can fire far more ammunition but has sustained huge losses of troops and equipment as Ukrainian forces have been equipped with precision weaponry from the U.S. and other Western allies. CIA Director William Burns said Wednesday that the U.S. estimates roughly 15,000 Russian forces have been killed. That death toll would be equivalent to the Soviet Union’s military losses in its 1980s war in Afghanistan, which lasted nearly a decade.

To try to equalize the conflict, Ukraine has made ample use of Western-supplied technologies as it defends its eastern lines.

Ukraine has long sought more HIMARS launchers, which fire medium-range rockets and also can be quickly moved before Russia can target them. One military expert told The Associated Press that the systems have “hardly had any rest during the day or at night.”

U.S. authorities also are providing Ukraine with more guided rockets known as GMLRS. The Pentagon continues to rule out sending longer-range rockets that Ukraine could potentially use to strike deep into Russian territory. That’s a nod to the U.S. trying to manage the risk of Russia instigating a broader war.

The U.S. has already sent 12 truck-mounted HIMARS to Ukraine. The United Kingdom also has provided three launchers of a different kind with GMLRS rockets as well.

North Texans have repeatedly shown their solidarity with Ukraine. There have been numerous protests in the region against the conflict along with efforts to support and provide assistance for Ukrainians. Dallas also became one of many government entities nationwide to sever diplomatic ties with Russia after the invasion was launched in February.

The Dallas-based nonprofit Texas Baptist Men has worked abroad to find shelter, food and assistance in resettling Ukrainian refugees.

“It’s one thing to know about what’s happening in politics. It’s another thing to sit in front of somebody who has lost everything. Like at that point it becomes incredibly personal. It becomes incredibly real,” John Hall, director of communications for the organization, said after returning from helping relief efforts for Ukraine in Poland.

Staff writer John Gravois contributed to this report, which contains material from The Associated Press and Bloomberg News.