"Haimas" rocket launcher has been stealing the show recently. It was originally a high-mobility self-propelled rocket launcher specially developed for the US Army, but it frequently appeared in conflict hotspots. Following the Javelin, Stinger, Switchblade, and M777, it became a new generation of "Internet celebrity" weapons, and It seems to have achieved considerable results. For example, many ammunition depots located in the rear were destroyed, which is said to be the work of Haimas .
Haimas rocket launcher enters the position
Haimas rocket launcher
Rocket launcher is not a new thing, we can often see it in various media videos. Compared with ordinary barrel artillery, rocket launchers give people the impression that the launch is very spectacular and the rate of fire is very fast. It can fire dozens of rockets in a short time. The typical representative of them is the Russian BM-21 "Hail" ". However, the accuracy of rockets is generally not high, and they are suitable for "scrubbing".
But today's advanced rocket launchers are no longer what they used to be. They can not only wash the floor, but also "point acupuncture points". Haimas is a typical representative of them. Its real name is the M142 High Mobility Rocket Launcher System, or HIMARS for short. The predecessor of the Haimas is the M270 multiple rocket launcher that showed great power in the 1991 Gulf War. The M270 uses a crawler chassis and is equipped with 12 227 mm caliber rockets.
M270 multiple rocket launcher system
M270 often uses M26 submunitions, with a range of 32 kilometers, and the warhead of each rocket is equipped with 644 bombs. An M270 can drop 7,728 sub-bombs in the target area in one salvo. It is said that it can destroy unprotected targets within one square kilometer, and its power is amazing. In the 1991 Gulf War, the M270 fired a total of nearly 20,000 such rockets and achieved significant results. They were described as ruthless "steel rain" by Iraqi soldiers.
In addition to launching rockets, the M270 can also launch ATAMCS Army tactical missiles. Each vehicle can carry two missiles with a range of up to 165 kilometers. With these outstanding capabilities, the M270 rocket launcher occupies an important position in the US Army's heavily armed forces. However, its shortcomings are also obvious, that is, it is too heavy. The total combat weight reaches 26 tons. Only C17 can be used. large transport aircraft are used for transportation, but they are not so flexible in modern warfare that pursues rapid response.
M270 played a major role in the Gulf War.
However, even the lightly equipped quick reaction force also needs rocket launchers with powerful firepower. In order to solve this contradiction, the M142 Seamaster was born. It also uses 227mm rockets. In order to reduce weight, the bomb load of the M270 was cut in half to 6. These 6 rockets are installed in a modular launch box and can be loaded as a whole, which is very convenient and fast. In addition, Haimas can still launch the tactical missile , but the number has been reduced to one.
The Haimas rocket launcher only has 6 rockets
While reducing the bomb load, Haimas also abandoned the tracked chassis of the M270 and replaced it with a highly maneuverable wheeled truck chassis. The maximum speed on the road can reach 86 kilometers per hour. kilometer. As a result, the total weight of the Haimas rocket launcher has been reduced to about 10 tons, and it can be transported by medium-sized transport aircraft such as the C130. Its flexibility is greatly enhanced, and it has quickly become the new favorite of the US Army and Marine Corps.
However, with the continuous development of rocket launcher performance, the range is getting farther and farther. The more than 30 kilometers range of unguided M26 rockets is no longer enough. To this end, Haimas is equipped with M30/M31 precision-guided long-range rockets (GMLRS), with a range of 70 kilometers. Due to the use of inertial and GPS guidance technology, the accuracy at the maximum range reaches 10 meters. Among them, M30 is submunition , and M31 is a single warhead. Its warhead weighs 90 kilograms and is very powerful.
Haimas launches guided rockets
Later, the GMLRS rocket also appeared in an extended range version, with a range of up to 150 kilometers. In addition to long-range precision-guided rockets, Haimas also has the advantage of automation. Although the bomb load is only 6, which is somewhat small, it can achieve quick attack and quick withdrawal.The whole process from entering the position to evacuating by firing rockets does not take more than 2 minutes, and the gun crew members do not need to get out of the car. And it only takes 8 minutes to reload rockets.
With the blessing of these advantages, Haimas has become the legendary "70-kilometer sniper rifle." It can use roads to achieve rapid long-distance maneuvers, and then launch sneak attacks on high-value targets at a longer range, and then retreat after the attack, making it difficult to guard against. Guided rockets have high accuracy and power, and can often penetrate the enemy's soul with one shot, causing heavy damage to the opponent. Since it can fire 6 rounds at a time, if there are other weapons to cooperate, even if the opponent has air defense system , it will be difficult to guarantee that all of them will be shot down during passive resistance.
Rockets reload quickly
Under the current situation in conflict areas, it is really not easy to eliminate Haimas. The range of the BM-30 "Tornado" rocket launcher is actually no smaller than that of the Haimas, and its lethality is also stronger. But if you can't get the position of Haimas in a very short time, it will run away after a slight delay. And Haimas has fast maneuvering speed and can avoid anywhere in a large range, making it difficult for drones to find it.
It can be said that Haimas gained some asymmetric advantages with a single weapon under special circumstances. Of course, Haimas cannot achieve results without the support of reconnaissance and intelligence. First, it must know whether the target is worth hitting, and then it must obtain accurate coordinates before it can carry out the strike.
Haimas rocket launcher
I guess many netizens will ask: Is there no way to use Haimas now? Does it have no weaknesses? Of course there are weaknesses! No weapon is perfect. It is only suitable for fighting in a specific environment and cannot be comprehensive. Haimas now faces several problems that may threaten its survival in the future. First of all, the number of
is too small, and there are only a few launch vehicles. Even if some results can be obtained through sneak attacks, it will not change the overall situation, and the destruction of one unit is a heavy loss. Then the rockets are too expensive. The United States had planned to spend US$4.3 billion to purchase nearly 29,000 guided rockets in the 2021-2024 fiscal year. The unit price of each missile is close to US$150,000, which is equivalent to nearly one million yuan. Shooting out 6 million in one salvo may not be a big deal to the wealthy United States, but it will be painful to other countries.
A rocket is worth millions
In addition, although Haimas can fight and run fast, it will still face huge threats from the air. If there are a sufficient number of integrated surveillance and attack drones to conduct long-term and uninterrupted surveillance of areas where Seahorses may appear, and destroy them as soon as they appear, it will greatly weaken the effectiveness of Seahorses. A few drones will not be enough. call taxi. In addition to using drones,
has a simpler and more crude method of restricting Haimas. Since Haimas is a wheeled chassis and relies more on road maneuvers, if the highway system in key areas can be targeted and destroyed, even if it cannot completely prevent Haimas' activities, it will greatly increase the difficulty of its maneuvers and make it easier to be discovered. and annihilation.
In short, Seamus is only a single weapon after all, and can only play a limited role in modern system confrontation. Its role is more like a "sniper" in rocket launchers. It will cause trouble to the opponent, but it cannot prevent the development of the conflict situation. Once the opponent is familiar with its characteristics and develops targeted tactics, Haimas' life will be difficult.
