Croatia plans to order HIMARS this year克罗地亚计划今年订购HIMARS导弹系统。
The country is posed to join a number or central and eastern European nations adopting the weapon system.
WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian Ministry of Defence has announced plans to acquire High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, for the country’s armed forces.
“Modernization, as well as the introduction of new weapons and equipment into operational use, directly enhance the existing [capacities] and develop new capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces,” a defense spokesperson told Defense News. “The priorities for … [the] modernization are defined during the defense planning process.”
The Croatian ministry is planning “to equip and modernize the Croatian Armed Forces with M142 HIMARS … for which the signing of a government-to-government agreement with the government of the United States of America is expected by the end of 2024,” according to the spokesperson.
The official did not disclose the number of systems that are to be delivered to the Croatian military.
Should the order materialize, Croatia will join a rapidly growing number of central and eastern European allies who have ordered HIMARS for their armed forces in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
These include Poland, which, under a contract signed in February 2019, purchased 20 HIMARS launchers for some $414 million. In September 2023, then-Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak inked a framework deal to acquire up to 486 HIMARS units.
Throughout the region, HIMARS has also been ordered by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. The Ukrainian military has used the artillery system to combat Russia’s attack.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
波兰华沙——克罗地亚国防部宣布计划为该国武装部队采购高机动性火箭炮系统（HIMARS）。
一位国防部发言人告诉《防务新闻》：“现代化以及新武器装备的投入使用，直接提升了克罗地亚武装部队的现有能力，并发展了新的作战能力。现代化工作的优先事项是在国防规划过程中确定的。”
据发言人称，克罗地亚国防部计划“为克罗地亚武装部队配备M142 HIMARS火箭炮系统并使其现代化……预计到2024年底将与美国政府签署政府间协议”。
该官员没有透露将向克罗地亚军方交付多少套系统。
如果订单最终落实，克罗地亚将加入迅速增长的中东欧盟国行列，这些盟国在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后已为其武装部队订购了HIMARS导弹防御系统。
其中包括波兰，该国于 2019 年 2 月签署了一份合同，以约 4.14 亿美元的价格购买了 20 套 HIMARS 导弹发射系统。2023 年 9 月，时任国防部长马里乌什·布瓦什恰克签署了一项框架协议，拟采购多达 486 套 HIMARS 系统。
在整个地区，爱沙尼亚、拉脱维亚、立陶宛和罗马尼亚也订购了HIMARS系统。乌克兰军队曾使用该火炮系统对抗俄罗斯的进攻。
Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。