The M142 HIMARS rocket launcher was developed for the needs of the US armed forces by BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin. When creating the new system, the main focus was on the maximum possible mobility, high maximum speed of the wheeled platform and the possibility of air transport on the C-130 Hercules aircraft. In order to increase compatibility and minimize research and development work, it was decided to use a wheeled platform based on a truck from the M1078 FMTV family, while the rocket launcher was borrowed from the MLRS M270. It is worth adding that while the MLRS has two containers with 6 launchers each, HIMARS uses one container - also with 6 launchers. The first field tests of the M142 began in 1998, and an order for the first serial batch was placed in 2002. Launchers of this type were used during the civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, and in operations in Iraq, starting in 2014.
