State Department Approves $10 Billion HIMARS Rocket Sale to Poland

Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the deal

The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it approved a potential $10 billion rocket launcher sale to Poland as the US’s European allies continue to ramp up military spending.

The deal includes 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), rocket launchers that the US has been providing Ukraine. The HIMARS are made by Lockheed Martin, the principal contractor for the sale.

The sale also includes munitions for the HIMARS, including Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of up to 190 miles, and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), which can hit targets about 50 miles away.

The State Department’s notification begins a period during which Congress could block the sale. But the deal should breeze through Congress as there is no opposition to arms deals for the US’s European allies.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the policy of flooding the war zone with weapons has been a boon for US defense contractors. They have also been cashing in on European countries raising military spending levels and former Soviet republics getting rid of older Soviet-made gear and looking to replace it with new Western weaponry.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.