The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.9 billion contract modification for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). The award, a modification of the original contract W31P4Q-24-D-0019, runs through May 2028.
HIMARS has been a high-value asset in the Ukraine war, and Washington has donated more than 40 launchers to Kyiv since Moscow invaded. Further, the U.S. has maintained a steady flow of ammunition for the launchers, aside from a brief pause earlier this year when aid funding was stalled in Congress.
Each one of the five Ukraine security assistance packages announced by the Pentagon in 2024 has included HIMARS launchers or ammunition. A May 10 drawdown announcement included both launchers and ammo, while two other drawdowns in April and May provided additional rockets. Drawdowns reflect the donation of equipment in U.S. inventory directly to Ukraine. A separate $6 billion aid package announced in April, which was funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), also included HIMARS ammo. The USAI is used to buy equipment directly from manufacturers, rather than harvesting from existing inventory. Finally, a March 12 drawdown included Army Tactical Missile Systems, which are longer-range missiles that can be fired from HIMARS launchers.
All of the aid provided this year, aside from $300 million announced in March, was facilitated by the $95 billion national security supplemental passed in April. The legislation included $48.3 billion for Ukraine, including around $37 billion for weapons.
The White House recently authorized Ukraine to begin striking targets inside of Russia with equipment donated by the U.S. to help defend against Moscow’s offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine. Kyiv subsequently launched cross-border rocket attacks, which included the use of HIMARS launchers and rockets.
As editor of International Military Markets, North America, Shaun has cultivated a deep understanding of the vast defense markets in the United States and Canada. Shaun's perspective on defense procurement and budget issues has been cited in a variety of defense periodicals, including Defense News and National Defense Magazine. Further, Shaun played an integral role in the development of Forecast International's U.S. Defense Budget Forecast product, which offers an unprecedented level of insight into the Pentagon's acquisition budget. In addition to providing original analytical content for the U.S. Defense Budget Forecast, Shaun oversees an internal defense budget forecasting process involving Forecast International's team of skilled systems analysts following release of the DoD's annual budget request. Shaun is also in charge of managing Forecast International's Weapons Inventory database.
