The U.S. military’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), known for its ability to devastate an area equivalent to six soccer fields from a distance of about 40 kilometers (25 miles), was deployed to the Korean Peninsula during the latter half of this year as part of the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS).
U.S. military authorities reported that a Marine Corps HIMARS stationed at a base in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, was transported via a KC-130J “Super Hercules” tanker and deployed to a U.S. Air Force base in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on August 29, coinciding with the final stages of UFS.
This deployment was part of HIRAIN (HIMARS Rapid Insertion), a training initiative aimed at rapidly enhancing the U.S. Marine Corps’ capability to deploy fire support forces throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
The HIMARS vehicle is compact and lightweight, measuring 7 meters (23 feet) in length and 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) in width. It facilitates swift transportation by various aircraft to global locations.
Previously, HIMARS participated in the U.S.-Philippines joint exercise Kamandag in October 2022 alongside South Korean forces and was also involved in the Freedom Shield (FS) training on the Korean Peninsula last April, marking its first deployment in the region in six years.
Reports indicate that the HIMARS stationed at the Gunsan base conducted simulated firing exercises during the recent UFS, underscoring its readiness.
This deployment is interpreted as a warning to North Korea, which launched trash-filled balloons toward the South on the 10th and 11th of the same month and conducted a verification firing test of a new type 240mm multiple rocket launcher toward the West Sea on September 27.
The HIMARS deployment signifies the capability to strike North Korean military targets swiftly, if necessary.
A lighter version of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) featured in the film “Steel Rain,” HIMARS operates from a 5-ton tactical vehicle that can reach speeds of up to 85 km/h (53 mph). It can carry six 227mm multiple-launch rockets, each capable of devastating an area the size of a soccer field.
HIMARS can be equipped with longer-range ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles, enhancing its operational versatility.