THE Australian bushland at Puckapunyal recently welcomed a surprise guest.
After hitting the streets of RAAF Base Edinburgh, the Australian Army’s high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) launcher vehicles were put to the test as soldiers from the 54th Siege Battery descended on Puckapunyal Military Area for training.
Named Exercise Verbranden Road, it focused on troop-level certification, including the development of standard operating procedures and operation of the HIMARS in and around the Australian landscape.
HIMARS delivers accurate firepower at long ranges, resulting in a more than tenfold increase in Army’s striking range. Under the Federal Government’s $1.6 billion plan, Australia will get 42 HIMARS launcher vehicles from the US.
Having successfully fired the HIMARS during Talisman Sabre 25, a joint Australia-US military exercise, the 54th Siege Battery has been learning the technical aspects and gaining operational qualifications for the platform.
HIMARS is centred around its ability to ‘shoot and scoot’, and the exercise tested the tactical application of the launchers in the field. This involved occupying hides using camouflage as well as planning tactical movement, all while executing firing missions as ordered and receiving resupply in the field.
Lieutenant Deklan Boyle, one of the troop commanders at 54th Siege Battery, has seen a rapid deployment of the platform in the past few months.
“It’s rewarding and challenging. They are brand new and fresh off the line and that comes with pros and cons. Working through that is very rewarding and as we have proven during the exercise, the soldiers and the platform are more than capable of doing what we need them to do,” Lieutenant Boyle said.
“By far the most rewarding aspect though has been seeing the rapid integration of the soldiers displaying their skills as they have all come from various backgrounds including M777 gunners, infantry and cavalry.”
For Bombardier Felix Holmes, it has been great being out in the field for the first real-time HIMARS exercise.
“It’s really exciting to see the capability and what is achievable, and how well it can move, especially in environments like this (at Puckapunyal).”
