US HIMARS and French CAESAR Wipe Out Russian Artillery Positions in Donetsk Region

Ukrainian forces used US-made HIMARS rocket systems and French-made CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to destroy four Russian artillery pieces and two field ammunition depots in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces Command said reconnaissance teams from the 147th Separate Artillery Brigade detected Russian artillery activity and transmitted the coordinates of the firing positions to Ukrainian artillery units.

HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems and 155mm CAESAR self-propelled howitzers subsequently struck the identified targets. The operation destroyed four Russian artillery guns together with their crews and two field ammunition storage sites, the command said.

The report did not specify the models of the Russian artillery pieces, the types of ammunition used by the Ukrainian systems, or which targets were struck by HIMARS and which by CAESAR.

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, is a US-made truck-mounted precision rocket launcher. It carries a single launch pod that can accommodate six GMLRS guided rockets or one larger missile such as ATACMS. Standard GMLRS ammunition has a range of roughly 70 kilometers and uses GPS-assisted inertial guidance.

Ukraine has used HIMARS primarily against high-value Russian targets behind the front line, including ammunition depots, command posts and logistics infrastructure.

CAESAR is a French-designed 155mm/52-caliber self-propelled howitzer mounted on a wheeled chassis. Depending on the ammunition used, the system can strike targets at around 40 kilometers with extended-range conventional shells and beyond 55 kilometers with rocket-assisted projectiles.

The system can fire up to six rounds per minute and rapidly leave its firing position, an important capability in counter-battery operations where artillery units can become targets shortly after opening fire.

Ukraine has operated CAESAR systems throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, using them for frontline fire support and counter-battery missions alongside other Western-supplied 155mm artillery systems.

Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces said Russian artillery in the Pokrovsk area is used to strike Ukrainian positions and logistics routes while supporting infantry groups attempting to advance between Ukrainian defensive positions.

Earlier, Ukrainian drone operators destroyed two Russian 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers in the Vovchansk direction after locating the systems behind the front line despite their attempts to change positions and use camouflage.

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