US Approves Up to $10 Billion HIMARS Sale to NATO Ally

The American State Department has approved a potential arms package worth up to $10 billion dollars. The proposed package includes 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, 45 of the Army Tactical Missile System missiles (ATACMS) each one with a range of 185-miles (297-kms,) more than 1,559 Guided Multiple Rocket Launch System (G MLRS) rockets, and many warhead variants. The warhead variants include, 532 XM403 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Extended Range Alternative Warheads, 461 M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Alternative Warhead GMLRS-AW pods, and 521 M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary weapons, these include the Insensitive Munitions Propulsion System. Congress could block the sale, but that is highly unlikely due to the current political climate amongst US leadership. This proposed sale comes after the December sale of HIMARS and ATACMS to Lithuania. That sale was worth $495 million.