HIMARS launchers and ATACMS missiles for Morocco
Morocco ← 
United StatesDeal progress
Current status: Sale approved — latest milestone in 2023. Not every deal goes through every stage; a government sale approval, for example, applies only in some supplier countries.
Deal details
The deal covers HIMARS rocket launchers and ATACMS missiles for Morocco, supplied by the United States; Lockheed Martin is listed as the manufacturer. It is classed under artillery and rocket launchers. The announced quantity is 18 launchers, and the value is put at $524.2 million (DSCA estimate).
The supplier government approved the sale in 2023. Approval is not a signed contract, and the quantity and value may change once one is concluded.
Details: Approved in April 2023.
What is the M142 HIMARS launcher?
HIMARS, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is a rocket launcher built by Lockheed Martin on the chassis of a 5-tonne medium truck from the US Army’s FMTV family. It is the wheeled member of the MLRS launcher family, which previously used a tracked chassis. Development began in 1996, the first contracts with the US Army and Marine Corps were signed in 2000, and it was first deployed operationally to Iraq in September 2005.
The launcher carries a single pod holding six GMLRS guided rockets, two new-generation PrSM missiles or one ATACMS ballistic missile, and can fire the full range of MLRS family munitions. It weighs close to 10.9 tonnes, so it can be flown in a C-130 into areas that heavier launchers cannot reach. More than 200 suppliers spread across 35 US states take part in its production chain.
How it works and what sets it apart
The crew of three, a driver, gunner and section chief, stay inside the cab throughout a fire mission, with the gunner running it through the Common Fire Control System (CFCS), which also allows reloading with fewer crew. The concept of use rests on moving into position quickly, firing and leaving before the enemy can respond. GMLRS guided rockets reach 70 km in the standard version and 150 km in the extended-range version, while ATACMS flies to about 300 km and PrSM to 499 km, according to the company. Road speed is 85 km/h and operating range 480 km. The system made its name in Ukraine from 2022, where it was used against ammunition depots and command posts, and more than 25 countries operate or have ordered it, including Australia, Canada, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Singapore and the UAE.
Key specifications
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
| Weight | About 10,900 kg |
| Maximum road speed | 85 km/h |
| Operating range | 480 km |
| Load | 6 GMLRS rockets, 2 PrSM missiles or 1 ATACMS missile |
| GMLRS range | 70 km (150 km for the extended-range version) |
| ATACMS range | About 300 km |
| First operational deployment | September 2005 (Iraq) |
