Explained: What are ‘artillery rockets,’ and why is the US sending them to Ukraine?

What is the News?

The United States has announced that it is sending its High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems known as HIMARS to Ukraine.

What is HIMARS?

The US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems are known as HIMARS. 

It is a multiple launch rocket system or MLRS – a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles. 

It is considered a modernized, lighter and more agile version of the M270 MLRS developed in the 1970s for US and allied forces. 

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.

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What are ‘artillery rockets,’ and why is the US sending them to Ukraine?” published in Indian Express on 2nd June 2022.