In a major boost to regional security, the US State Department has approved a prospective $705 million sale of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and assorted support equipment to Australia. The sale package covers 48 HIMARS units, M1084A2 resupply vehicles, M1095 trailers, practice rocket pods for cost-effective training, advanced communication mounts, and critical spare parts to ensure ongoing operational readiness.
The list of US vendors supplying the package includes top defense companies: Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Leonardo DRS, and Oshkosh Corporation. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency emphasized that strengthening Australia’s defense posture would reinforce both US national security interests and foreign policy goals in the Indo-Pacific region.
Australian authorities have moved quickly to modernize their strike capabilities after tracking the success of HIMARS in recent global conflicts. In 2023, Canberra purchased up to 42 HIMARS units and in March 2025 took delivery of its first system. The arrival was soon followed by a significant test: during combined drills with US and allied forces in July, Australia conducted its inaugural Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) launch from a HIMARS, achieving a direct hit on a target more than 300 kilometers away in just over four minutes.
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy declared that this successful trial demonstrates a dramatic advance in Australia’s military reach, citing it as evidence of a “twenty-five-fold increase” in the Army’s long-range strike capacity. The proposed deal further cements defense ties between Washington and Canberra while ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of modern artillery technology.
