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The Australian government has confirmed the purchase of 20 HIMARS rocket systems that can strike adversaries up to 300km away.
The truck-mounted devices can be transported by the RAAF’s C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemasters, and have recently proved crucial in turning the tide in the war in Ukraine.
The first deliveries of the ‘High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems’ are excepted by 2025.
Warren McDonald, the chief executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, said the purchase means Australia will have access to “unmatched” land-based firepower.
James Heading, the prime’s strategic capabilities officer, hailed HIMARS’ ability to “shoot and scoot” away from danger to keep soldiers safe.
“HIMARS can emplace, fire and relocate, and conduct reload in a matter of minutes, dramatically reducing an adversary’s ability to locate and target HIMARS,” he said.
“HIMARS enables a generational leap in capability for Australia, taking Defence from cannon artillery to Long-Range Precision Fires that provide a 24/7 persistent, all-weather capability.
“HIMARS offers the Australian Defence Force the ability to use and share common munitions and to integrate into a coalition effort.”
The announcement was first made in May 2022, but only confirmed by the Albanese government in November, and announced publicly on Thursday.
It significantly comes after it emerged the RAAF is likely to purchase 24 new versions of the Hercules for up to $10 billion to replace its ageing fleet of the iconic aircraft.
Defence said earlier it was committed to “replacing and expanding” the Lockheed Martin C-130, but the US State Department then seemingly gave away more details of a possible deal when it formally granted permission for the transaction.
If the agreement goes ahead, Australia will acquire the new ‘130J-30’ variant that adds more than 4 metres to the fuselage.
Having been manufactured for more than 60 years, the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules is the longest continuously produced military aircraft.
In total, 48 have supported ADF operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor and Vietnam, and humanitarian disaster relief missions in Pakistan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific.
Australia obtained its initial batch in December 1958, becoming the first nation to operate the aircraft outside of the US Air Force.
The four-engine turboprop, medium-lift aircraft increased transport capability, and reduced reliance on piston-driven aircraft such as the C-47. The latest J variant was first operated in 1999 by the RAAF.
The Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, meanwhile, is a four-engine heavy transport aircraft that can accommodate huge payloads and land on runways just one-kilometre long.
That flexibility comes from its design, which mixes both high-lift wings and controls requiring just three onboard (pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster).
Cargo is loaded onto the C-17 through a ramp system at the back, while its floor has rollers that flip from flat to handle wheeled vehicles or pallets. RAAF owns eight, all operated by No. 36 Squadron and based at RAAF Base Amberley.
