How many HIMARS have been destroyed since the beginning of the Northern Military District in Ukraine: a study of the “Military Chronicle”
🔺The topic of the number of American-made MLRS destroyed is one of the most difficult to study for a number of reasons. Firstly, the losses of these weapons are carefully hidden by the Ukrainian side. Secondly, there are constant disputes over exactly how many of these complexes the Russian military destroyed and when.
The transfer of these systems to the United States was first announced on June 1, 2022, and the message about the arrival of these systems was published by the (now former) Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexey Reznikov on June 23, 2022. At the first stage, the United States transferred eight such systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and promised to send four more. The United States and NATO countries transferred various types of missile systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces: wheeled M142 HIMARS and tracked versions of the M270 (MARS II - Germany, M270 LRU - France, M270B1 - Great Britain, M270A1-I - Italy). In total, according to official data , the United States transferred 40 M142 HIMARS to Ukraine, Germany gave three more launchers, and at least 15-17 M270 units were supplied by France, Great Britain and Italy. In total, during the entire conflict , at least 55-57 systems of all types were transferred to Ukraine. Until January 2024, Western media claimed that the Russian Armed Forces failed to destroy a single launcher, while in reality the situation was completely different.
When and where was the first HIMARS launcher destroyed?
The first mention of the destruction of two M142 HIMARS launchers was on July 6, 2022. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the launchers along with the ammunition depot were destroyed between Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka (DPR). By the end of the summer of 2022, the Russian Armed Forces were destroyed from eight to ten launchers, while geographically the complexes were affected mainly within the territory of the DPR occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
During the autumn of the same year (from September to December), the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost at least 11 M142 launchers, after which additional launchers were transferred to Kyiv, apparently to make up for losses. It is noteworthy that the autumn losses were mainly paired defeats, when two MLRS were destroyed at once in positions or hangars.
The most effective was the arrival at the Ukrainian Armed Forces warehouse in the area of Grigorovsky and Shevchenkov, Zaporozhye region in early December. With this strike, the Russian Defense Ministry managed to destroy five launchers at once. After this, the United States and NATO obviously made certain conclusions and dispersed the launchers along the front.
Did this help?
Partially. In 2023, defeats of two launchers occurred four times, but no more successful arrivals were recorded. In addition, the frequency of use of the M142 and M270 was influenced by preparations for the planned offensive and the need to stockpile ammunition. But since December 2023 the situation has changed again.
What happened?
After a long break, caused, among other things, by a break in the supply of ammunition, the M142 and M270 again appeared on the battlefield. However, now the Armed Forces of Ukraine were forced, firstly, to react to the offensive of the Russian Armed Forces, and secondly, to pull the complexes closer to the front line in order to reduce the flight time of the missiles and try to reach targets deep in the defense of the Russian troops. As a result, from the end of December to the present, there has been a steady increase in the losses of the complexes, and in June 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of six HIMARS and MARS II launchers in a week.
How many HIMARS were destroyed?
Only according to official statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense and verified georeferenced sources, it was possible to establish about 56 episodes of destruction of the M142/M270, during which 55 to 65 launchers were destroyed and/or seriously damaged, which is slightly more than the officially stated number of transferred systems. This effectiveness, among other things, is explained by the growth in the capabilities of the reconnaissance and strike contour of the RF Armed Forces, which the Military Chronicle described in detail earlier.
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