The production of modernized missiles for HIMARS has begun, Ukraine may also receive them
Date: 2024-06-28 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: MILITARY ASSISTANCE
The Pentagon has granted permission to Lockheed Martin to produce upgraded GMLRS ER long-range precision missiles for the HIMARS and M270 missile systems.
Under the contract, the company will produce 240 missiles per year worth $200 million. Military analyst Colby Badwar on the social network X drew attention to the fact that the budget for the 2024 fiscal year included the purchase of 120 GMLRS ER missiles for the US Army. The analyst noted that here two options can be cautiously considered about who the remaining 120 missiles could be for.
The analyst believes that the United States could sell GMLRS ER missiles to Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland or Australia. Moreover, Finland became the first customer of these long-range missiles. The agreement for $91 million was signed back in 2022. The delivery of missiles under this contract is scheduled for 2025.
In another case, these missiles may be guided by a USAI program - this is the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative program, which provides for the purchase of weapons and military equipment directly from manufacturers.
According to the analyst, this year the price of one GMLRS ER missile is $540 thousand, in 2025 it is planned to produce 510 missiles and their cost will drop to $480 thousand and, accordingly, they will become cheaper as production increases.
