According to a company news release, Lockheed Martin won a contract from the U.S. Army to produce the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a lightweight rocket launcher transportable by the C-130 and larger aircraft.

The HIMARS will be produced at Lockheed Martin’s Precision Fires Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas, and 28 units will be built under this contract.

The C-130 is manufactured here in Cobb County at the Marietta facility.

The contract is worth $183 million, and calls for delivery starting in late 2022 for the U.S. Marine Corps and “international customer.”

 “The Army’s commitment to the HIMARS launcher through 2050 reflects our customers’ confidence in Lockheed Martin’s highly reliable, combat-proven precision strike systems and munitions,” said Gaylia Campbell, vice president of Precision Fires and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control for the news release.

 “These new HIMARS launchers will provide unmatched mobile firepower in support of multi-domain operations, and our allies can count on Lockheed Martin’s continued support in maintaining these combat-proven systems,” said Campbell.

The news release describes the HIMARS rocket laucher further as follows:

HIMARS is a lightweight mobile launcher, transportable via C-130 and larger aircraft for rapid deployment, that fires Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, the next-generation Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) and Extended-Range GMLRS rockets. HIMARS consists of a launcher loader module and fire control system mounted on a five-ton truck chassis. A specialized armored cab provides additional protection to the three crew members that operate the system.

For more than 40 years, Lockheed Martin has been the leading designer and manufacturer of long-range, surface-to-surface precision strike solutions, providing highly reliable, combat-proven systems like MLRS, HIMARS, ATACMS and GMLRS to domestic and international customers.