Taiwan showcases striking power with Himars missile systems
Taiwan has demonstrated the operational capability of its unit equipped with powerful M142 HIMARS launchers, which can strike targets within the territory of the People's Republic of China. Here, we explore these systems' capabilities.
The chairman of Taiwan's national defence committee, Wang Ting-yu, shared photos of the M142 HIMARS launchers during a visit to the central military base on 6th January at 4:00 AM GMT. Wang praised the military personnel trained in the USA, stating that "the soldiers are highly skilled in operating the M142 HIMARS systems and demonstrate exceptionally high morale."
Taiwan acquired 11 M142 HIMARS launchers under a 2020 agreement. These launchers, delivered at the end of 2024, were shown for the first time. However, this is not the end of deliveries, as a second batch of 18 launchers is also planned. It's also worth noting that along with HIMARS, Taiwan acquired MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles.
M142 HIMARS — key long-range weapon for Taiwan
The M142 HIMARS systems were developed as a more cost-effective and easily airlifted counterpart to the M270 MLRS systems. They achieved this by mounting the launcher on the chassis of a six-wheeled M1140 truck and using a single launch pod container for six GMLRS rockets or one MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missile.
GMLRS rockets, equipped with inertial navigation (INS) and satellite navigation (GPS), can strike targets up to 80 kilometres away with an accuracy of a few metres. However, if the opponent has GPS jamming capabilities, the precision slightly decreases. The most common variant is M31A1/A2, which has a classic 90-kilogram warhead.
The warhead itself contains 23 kilograms of explosives, and the fuze can be configured for different operation modes. The default is a detonation upon impact, but an airburst or delayed explosion, ideal for attacking fortifications, is possible, as was evident in the Ukrainian attack on Ivanivske.
The second currently widely used type is the M30A1 rockets, which have an Alternative Warhead (AW) for area effect. This weapon was developed as an alternative to controversial cluster munitions. The warhead contains a payload of 182,000 tungsten balls surrounding a core of powerful explosives. The fuze is designed to detonate the rocket while still in mid-air, resulting in a shower of fragments with enough energy to penetrate body armour, rocket casings, or tanks.
M142 HIMARS with MGM-140 ATACMS — a duo enabling attacks on Chinese territory
The MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles offer much greater capabilities, with a range of up to 300 kilometres. Taiwan most likely received the latest variants, which come in three versions. The basis is the missiles from the M48, M57, and M57E1 series, which have a large WAU-23/B fragmentation warhead weighing approximately 200 kilograms. The warhead detonates upon hitting the target for the M48 variant, whereas from the M57 variant onwards, an airburst above the target or a delay is possible.
Meanwhile, cluster variants are available in general-purpose and anti-armour versions. The first variant, M39A1, contains a payload of 300 M74 APAM bomblets, which proved effective against Russian forces during the war in Ukraine.
The second type, M39A3, is more intriguing, equipped with Brilliant Anti-armour Technology (BAT) submunitions capable of autonomously detecting targets like tanks using acoustic and thermal sensors before attacking, similar to the Bonus or SMArt 155 artillery shells. All of this gives Taiwan the capability toThisjing's preparations for a potential invasion significantly.
