Land Forces News
Army Fields HIMARS to Fourth Battalion
US Army | Nov 27, 2007
FORT LEWIS, Wash: The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is now
being fielded to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery at Fort
Lewis' Yakima Training Center -- the fourth unit Armywide to
receive the rocket system mounted on a five-ton truck chasis.
The HIMARS can fire the same family of munitions as the Multiple
Launch Rocket System, but HIMARS carries only one pod of six
rockets instead of the MLRS' two pods or twelve rockets. The HIMARS
wheeled vehicle is also lighter than the MLRS tracked
vehicle.
The three battalions who already have the system are the 3rd Bn.,
27th Infantry Regt., at Fort Bragg, N.C., which was the first to
receive the HIMARS in 2005; the 1st Bn., 181st Field Artillery of
the Tennessee National Guard and the 1st Bn., 158th Field Artillery
of the Oklahoma National Guard. Both Guard units were fielded with
HIMARS in 2006.
The new system can be moved by rail or air and was specifically
built to be carried on the C-130 aircraft. In support of special
operations, HIMARS can be rolled off an aircraft, fired and then be
reloaded onto the aircraft in a matter of minutes, said Maj. Rich
Amadon of the 3rd Field Artillery.
"This is a brand new weapons system for the battalion," said Lt.
Col. Matt Hergenroeder, commander of the 5th Bn., 3rd FA.
The First Round Battalion fires the HIMARS, which mounts on the
Army's five-ton truck chassis and carries a pod of six rockets
instead of two pods like the Multiple Launch Rocket System.
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"The battalion has a long history, and the motto is 'the First
Round Battalion,'" he said. The battalion fired the first round for
the Union Army in the Civil War and the first round at the Battle
of San Juan Hill. "This is going to be our first round here, so
it's a historic moment for the battalion," he said about the unit's
first live-fire of the HIMAR Oct. 30.
The battalion so far has received a partial fielding of the HIMAR
and more of the systems are expected in upcoming months.
After four weeks of classroom and hands-on training on HIMARS, the
battalion's three-day live fire at Yakima was the last piece of
their certification. While many of the Soldiers had previously
fired MLRS, some had never gone through a live-fire exercise. The
battalion itself had not fired since 2004, according to Capt.
Travis Immesoeste, a battery commander.
"We're getting back to re-readying ourselves and being artillerymen
again," Lt. Col. Hergenroeder said. "It's a big motivational boost
for these guys to be able to shoot."
"It's a good system," said Staff Sgt. Chris Starnes, the crew chief
leading the first battery to fire the HIMARS. "It's awesome. It's a
privilege we were afforded the opportunity to do this."
Before the live-fire, the three crews practiced loading and
unloading the 5,000-pound rocket pod from each HIMARS. After
working out a few bugs in the new system, the battery finished with
a trio simultaneously firing a three-rocket volley.
The Army plans to field HIMARS to 13 more units in the future,
according to an official at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Center
and School, Fort Sill, Okla.
(Rachel Young serves with the Fort Lewis Public Affairs
Office.)
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/army/Army_Fields_HIMARS_to_Fourth_Battalion110014325.php
