Context: Recently, the United States has sent four HIMAR systems to the Ukrainian military in the hope of giving it an edge over Russia.

High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)

• It is a high-tech, lightweight rocket launcher that is wheel mounted, giving it more agility and manoeuvrability on the battlefield.
• Each unit can carry six GPS guided rockets, which can be reloaded in about a minute with only a small crew.
• It is considered a modernized, lighter and more agile version of the M270 MLRS developed in the 1970s for US and allied forces. 
• It carries only one pod of munitions, but it can move much faster on and off-road, and can be shipped on a C-130 cargo plane.

What is an artillery rocket?

• An artillery rocket is a weapon that is typically propelled by a solid-fuel motor and can carry a variety of warheads. 
• During the Cold War, most artillery rockets were unguided and imprecise when fired at greater distances.

What’s the difference between a rocket and a missile?

• The nomenclature can be confusing sometimes, but generally, the word “rocket” is used in a military context to refer to relatively inexpensive unguided weapons powered by solid-fuel motors.
• On the other hand,  “missile” is generally shorthand for “guided missiles,” more expensive and complicated weapons that use movable fins to steer themselves to their targets and can fly much farther.

By: Shubham Tiwari