The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $705 million foreign military sale to Australia for 48 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposed package includes resupply vehicles, trailers, training rockets, communication equipment, spare parts, and a range of engineering and logistics support. The notification has been submitted to Congress for review.
The State Department noted that the sale “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” describing Australia as “one of the United States’ most important allies in the Western Pacific.”
The HIMARS, built by Lockheed Martin, is a mobile artillery system capable of precision strikes at long ranges. It has been widely adopted by U.S. and allied forces.
DSCA said the acquisition “will improve Australia’s capability to meet current and future threats” and enhance “interoperability with U.S. forces and other allied forces.” The agency added that Australia “will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.”
U.S. officials emphasized that the sale would not alter the regional military balance but would strengthen collective security arrangements in the Indo-Pacific. Canberra intends to employ the systems for homeland defense, protection of critical infrastructure, and expansion of long-range strike capacity.
The package also includes M1084A2 resupply vehicles, M1095 trailers, and Low Cost Reduced Range Practice Rocket (LCRRPR) pods for training and sustainment.
The main contractors for the program are Lockheed Martin (Texas), L3Harris (Florida), Leonardo DRS (Virginia), and Oshkosh Corporation (Virginia). No offset agreements are currently planned, though potential arrangements may be negotiated with industry partners.