Battle Tactics of HIMARS & MLRS Missile Artillery

Other Platforms

Main Sources:
• FM 6-60/MCRP 3-1.6.24 (1996) "Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Operations"
• ATP 3-09.24 (2022) "The Field Artillery Brigade"
• ATP 4-43 (2022) "Petroleum Supply Operations"
• FKSM 71-8 (2010) "Armor/Cavalry Reference Data: Support Brigades", Annex Fires
• US Marine Corps Force Design 2030 Annual Update
• British Army Future Soldier Guide (2021)
• Turner, Paul. "Precision Fires Rocket and Missile Systems: New and Evolving Armaments and Subsystems for Future Conflicts"

Musicbed SyncID:
MB019SUFBY38FPU

[Skilly_J]

Excellent video! I served as a MLRS/HIMARS artilleryman for 8 years with three operational deployments and I couldn't have done a better job explaining it.

[MaxwellAerialPhotography]

In British service the M270 MLRS used to be known as the General Support Rocket System, or colloquially, Grid Square Removal System.

[BattleOrder]

Denver will never know peace in the Battle Order universe.

Btw the Antonovskiy Bridge in Kherson is 25 meters wide, well within HIMARS's accuracy (<10 meters) with room to spare.

[colmcorbec]

"Incoming fire has the right of way." - Artillery saying

[saturnv]

Fun fact, to load a HIMARS onto a C-130, not only you need to fold the rear viewing mirrors of the vehicle, you also had depressurized the tire so that HIMARS has the height clearance.

[luckyomen]

I served in 3 of the 4 batteries in 5/11, USMC. Its fun to see my job that was relatively obscure become noteworthy in the news and popular media. We did some more advanced combined arms training in Hokkaido with the JSDF and it was great to see how they train their airborne. I'm confident they will hold their own if something happens.

[toddneuschatz]

As someone who lives in the Denver Metro area in Colorado, those range graphs are particularly astonishing! I always thought the 40-min drive from Aurora to Golden was a looong way for my aging car, but seeing that sort of distance be small-potatoes for HIMARS munitions really puts the capabilities of these things into perspective

[TB-zfwe]

Apparently the German MARS system (modified M270 platform) is designed specifically to be used to automatically fire as counter battery. The crew does nothing other then set up ready to launch and the command network engages the platform and fires it for counter battery.

[islodxi]

Ah, the cigarette bud dispenser causing all the "fire" in Russian airfields and ammo depo

[-ZETA-]

Holy crap! You're half Japanese? Me too, and I also had an uncle on the Japanese side fought with the 442nd Infantry. I had another uncle from the Japanese side that joined the USMC on December 4th, 1941. Yes, really. I have seen his enlistment papers. He was later on the USS Missouri during the signing of the surrender, as part of Douglas MacArthur's group. I believe he did battalion level intelligence work, probably translating captured maps or documents, or interviewing the few Japanese prisoners that were taken. Crazy times.

[elgenerico]

HIMARS tactics:
Step 1: geolocate the ammo depot
Step 2: commence trollege

[therealjohnsmith]

MLRS was originally 3 / 12. In the late ‘90s we went to 3 / 9. With the advent of the focus back on LSCO we are simply going back to pre-OIF / OEF structures.

There is also a great deal of debate on tactical mobility. Generally, Anywhere a HIMARS can go, an M270 can go. The inverse is not true at all. The mobility of M270 lends itself to operating in more diverse terrain. One rotation to JMRC and seeing wheeled vehicles stuck in the mud plays this out.

[enigma]

Thank you for your uncle's service in the 442 RCT. My Mom was a US Army RM. She took care of wounded soldiers in Italy. Said the troops from the 442 never came in with minor wounds. They ALWAYS came in "shot to pieces". Brave men, great warriors. They never complained.

[BlindMonk]

The quality animations are super helpful, especially the munition illustrations and animation of the off-boresight firing.

Great to see, come a long way since the early Rifle Platoon videos. Bravo!

[napoleonibonaparte]

St Himars blesses the rain down in Kherson.

[MadMadCommando]

Guided ground to ground missiles have always been seen as secondary importance because their missions are mostly carried out by air strikes. It’s good that the conflict in Ukraine has woken NATO up to the possibility of fighting under contested airspace, and guided missiles have proven to be useful under those combat conditions.

[TheLiamster]

What did the astronaut say to the big red planet? “HIMARS”

[chaosXPRT]

There was new footage this morning of more strikes in the Antonovsky Bridge, the pontoon bridge and the ferry. I can only assume such accurate strikes came from the HIMARS

[bair]

Cool video. I understand a large part of your audience is interested in the force structure but this is a more general video while still including force structure and I think it’s a nice balance. Thanks for the hard work.

[FRI]

I served as a 13M M270A1 gunner with the 75th FA under 2-18. Launchers have been such a niche and unsung fighting force, it's good to get some exposure. A lot of people don't even know we exist!