| http://www.komotv.com/news/local/10956401.html
The Army has a new weapon and Fort Lewis soldiers are among the first to use it.
It is a fast-moving rocket and missile launcher known as HIMARS -- High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment are at the Yakima Training Center using three of the rocket and missile launchers. The rockets can hit targets 30 miles away. Missiles can hit targets 180 miles away.
The Army has had rocket launchers before, the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). But this one is different because of the tires. It's quick to get in and, more importantly, it's quick to get out.
Once the rocket or missile is launched and hits the target and the enemy finally figures out where it came from and the smoke clears, the HIMARS is gone.
It's off and running to the next location or back to a cargo plane such as a C-130 or C-17 to be sent somewhere else in a hurry.
It's how they expect to fight future wars.
"It's a tremendous capability for Fort Lewis, I Corps and for the Army to have a unit that is able to load up and quickly get to an area and be able to provide forces there," said Battalion commander Lt. Col. Matt Hergenroeder.
It's the same type of quick global response the Stryker vehicle was designed for.
As for Iraq, the rockets are being used to target individual buildings when other weapons haven't been enough.
"Which allows us to pinpoint a target without worrying about the damaging the buildings around it or what have you," said Sgt. Major James Higgins.
Lt. Col. Hergenroeder added, "Some of the units call it the '30 km sniper rifle' because that's how accurate it is."
And so these soldiers are training to get ready if needed in Iraq or anywhere else in the world that the U.S. Army is called on in the future.
This new 'HIMARS' battalion will be done with training and is expected to be ready to go into combat a year from now with 18 launchers
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