US clears Poland to buy HIMARS, ATACMS, ammunition worth $10 billion

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. State Department has approved Poland to buy advanced rockets and rocket launchers worth $10 billion, marking the latest such order from Eastern European allies in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .

The proposed order covers 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System , or HIMARS, launchers and 468 launcher-loader module kits. Also include are 45 M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and hundreds of guided multiple launch rocket and warheads variants, according to an announcement Tuesday.

The Lockheed Martin-made weapons have made headlines in recent months as Ukraine has put the U.S.-supplied rockets to use against Russian forces. Since the first systems arrived in June, they have been credited as helping Ukrainian forces recapture territory around Kherson.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement reads.

The sale “will improve Poland’s military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies,” it adds. “Poland intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats.”

The proposed sale includes 532 XM403 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Extended Range Alternative Warheads ― and 461 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warhead GMLRS-AW pods and 521 M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary weapons, each with the Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System.

While Congress has the authority to block the sale, it’s expected to pass smoothly through Capitol Hill.

Warsaw in May announced it was seeking 500 HIMARS launchers for more than 80 batteries. Those systems would be produced by Poland-based factories, and Warsaw aims to ensure the weapons’ integration with the Polish battlefield management system.

Poland has sought to purchase HIMARS since before Russia invaded Ukraine, as Warsaw undertakes a military-wide transition to modern Western equipment. It’s split some important buys between the U.S. and South Korea, including 288 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers and K-2 tanks .

Lithuania , after Latvia and Estonia , became the latest Baltic nation to ink a deal with the U.S. for HIMARS. It announced in December it had agreed to buy HIMARS and ATACMS worth $495 million.

With reporting by Jaroslaw Adamowski.

Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.

华盛顿——美国国务院已批准波兰购买价值 100 亿美元的先进火箭和火箭发射器，这是俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后，东欧盟友下达的最新此类订单。

根据周二发布的一份公告，拟议订单包括18套M142高机动性火箭炮系统（HIMARS）发射器和468套发射器-装填模块套件。此外，还包括45套M57陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）以及数百种制导多管火箭炮及其弹头变型。

近几个月来，洛克希德·马丁公司制造的武器频频登上新闻头条，因为乌克兰已将美国提供的火箭弹用于对抗俄罗斯军队。自6月份首批系统交付以来，它们被认为帮助乌克兰军队收复了赫尔松周边地区。

美国国防安全合作局的公告称：“这项拟议的军售将通过提高北约盟国的安全来支持美国的对外政策目标和国家安全目标，该盟国是欧洲政治稳定和经济进步的力量。”

声明还补充道，此次军售“将有助于波兰实现其军事目标，即提升军事能力，同时进一步增强与美国和其他盟国的互操作性”。“波兰计划利用这些国防装备和服务来实现其武装部队的现代化，并提升其国土防御能力，以遏制地区威胁。”

拟议的军售包括 532 个 XM403 制导多管火箭系统增程替代弹头，461 个 M30A2 制导多管火箭系统替代弹头 GMLRS-AW 吊舱和 521 个 M31A2 制导多管火箭系统单体武器，每个武器都配备了钝感弹药推进系统。

虽然国会有权阻止这笔交易，但预计该交易将在国会山顺利通过。

华沙方面5月宣布，计划采购500套HIMARS火箭炮系统，用于组建80多个导弹连。这些系统将由波兰本土工厂生产，华沙方面的目标是确保这些武器能够与波兰战场管理系统无缝对接。

早在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之前，波兰就一直寻求购买HIMARS火箭炮系统，因为华沙正在进行全军范围的现代化西方装备转型。波兰已将一些重要采购项目分给了美国和韩国，其中包括288套K239“天武”多管火箭炮和K-2坦克。

继拉脱维亚和爱沙尼亚之后，立陶宛成为最新一个与美国签署HIMARS导弹防御系统协议的波罗的海国家。立陶宛于去年12月宣布，已同意以4.95亿美元的价格购买HIMARS和ATACMS系统。

雅罗斯瓦夫·阿达莫夫斯基 (Jaroslaw Adamowski) 报道。

乔·古尔德是《防务新闻》的资深五角大楼记者，负责报道国家安全政策、政治和国防工业的交汇点。他此前曾担任国会记者。