Marine Corps HIMARS Firing Rockets Is How Deadly War Machines Look Like

Born in the 1990s at a request from the U.S. Army, the HIMARS has grown into an international weapons platform, being now fielded by the armies of six countries, the U.S. included. At home, both the Army and the Marine Corps use these things.

And these things are, in essence, mobile rocket launchers. The mobility part is taken care of by the frame of a medium, five-ton tactical truck, named M1140. On its back, the truck carries the multiple rocket launcher that's put on full display here.

Depending on the needs of its operators, HIMARS can fire either six GMLRS or ATACMS rockets, or two precision strike missiles. Depending on the ordnance used, the HIMARS can hit targets located at distances between 70 km (43 miles) or 499 km (310 miles).

Operated by a crew of three, the HIMARS can be deployed to war zones either by ground transport, or using a C-130 airplane. Once on location, the thing transforms into the frightening war machine you can see in the video posted below.

Shot by corporal Levi Guerra, Staff Sergeant Laiqa Hitt, and Lance Corporal Kelly Snyder, it shows a wealth of military equipment in action, presumably during a combat exercise the Marine Corps have performed at an undisclosed location.

There are a few moments in the video, mostly starting at about six minutes in, when several perfectly-aligned HIMARS launchers unleash their deadly rockets almost in sync, revealing for us mere mortals how insane a battlefield could look like today, if for some reason nations decided to once again go to war.