WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian Ministry of Defence has announced plans to acquire High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, for the country’s armed forces.
“Modernization, as well as the introduction of new weapons and equipment into operational use, directly enhance the existing [capacities] and develop new capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces,” a defense spokesperson told Defense News. “The priorities for … [the] modernization are defined during the defense planning process.”
The Croatian ministry is planning “to equip and modernize the Croatian Armed Forces with M142 HIMARS … for which the signing of a government-to-government agreement with the government of the United States of America is expected by the end of 2024,” according to the spokesperson.
The official did not disclose the number of systems that are to be delivered to the Croatian military.
Should the order materialize, Croatia will join a rapidly growing number of central and eastern European allies who have ordered HIMARS for their armed forces in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
These include Poland, which, under a contract signed in February 2019, purchased 20 HIMARS launchers for some $414 million. In September 2023, then-Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak inked a framework deal to acquire up to 486 HIMARS units.
Throughout the region, HIMARS has also been ordered by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. The Ukrainian military has used the artillery system to combat Russia’s attack.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
