Russia’s MLRS losses milestone hints at HIMARS superiority

More than 1,000 Russian multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) have now been destroyed on the battlefields of Ukraine, per the latest figures claimed by authorities in Kyiv, as Moscow’s forces continue attacking all along the 600-mile front despite staggering casualties and meager gains.

The Ukrainian military on Monday reported the elimination of one more Russian MLRS, bringing the total reported losses to 1,000 over two years of full-scale combat.

Also claimed eliminated on Monday were 880 troops, bringing the claimed total to 410,700, 13 tanks bringing the total to 6,555, and 12 artillery systems for a wartime total of 9,993.

Newsweek cannot independently verify the figures and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

The grueling experience of Russian MLRS crews stands in stark contrast to the Ukrainians operating the U.S.-made M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System—colloquially known as the HIMARS—and related NATO platforms including the German MARS and British M270s.

Moscow’s forces are yet to score a confirmed kill of any Western-supplied MLRS system, a reflection of the weapons’ tactical and political value for Kyiv as well as the range and mobility of the platforms. In mid-February, video emerged of two purported HIMARS being loaded onto a transport plane, perhaps bearing shrapnel damage.

The Western systems offer far greater range than the Soviet-designed GRAD launchers that make up the lion’s share of the Russian and Ukrainian MLRS armories. The Global Firepower Index for 2024 estimated that Russia has around 3,000 MLRS units, of which 2,000 are available for use.

Russia does use more modern and deadly MLRS systems—for example the much-feared TOS-1 heavy flamethrower, several of which have been destroyed or captured—but most of its fielded rocket artillery is of the GRAD variant.

The BM-21 GRAD is the most common system in the Russian military, and the most widely used MLRS platform around the world. Its 40 rocket tubes can fire a full salvo of 122mm rockets in six seconds, taking around five minutes to reload. The standard munitions have a range of around 12.5 miles, with more modern rockets ranging as far out as 25 miles.

Western-designed MLRS systems are still punishing Russian units in southern and eastern Ukraine, even if their initial battlefield impact has somewhat eased as Moscow’s troops adjusted.

The provision of longer-range munitions for the HIMARS has broadened the threat. The arrival of the long-range cluster variant of the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System—known as the ATACMS—in the fall of 2023 has allowed Ukraine to hit high-value targets including airfields and training centers far behind the front line. The U.S. has still not publicly approved the supply of unitary or longest range ATACMS munitions.

As with the arrival of the first HIMARS, though, Russian forces will be able to adapt to some degree. Ukrainian analyst Mykola Bielieskov wrote for the Atlantic Council in October that the ATACMS “are not a wonder weapon capable of changing the dynamic of the war decisively in Ukraine’s favor.”

“Indeed, in order to effectively target major logistics links such as bridges and fortified command posts, Ukraine will need to receive the unitary warhead version of the ATACMS.”

“Nevertheless, the arrival of ATACMS missiles on the Ukrainian battlefield creates a range of new opportunities for Ukrainian commanders while making life far more uncomfortable for their Russian adversaries.”