Anne in Ukraine
“The Himars rocket whizzed right past our car”
20 Minutes reporter Ann Guenter reports from Ukraine. On the way closer to the front, a rocket launcher suddenly blocked the road – and opened fire on Russian targets.
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A Himars rocket launcher in action.
20 Minutes reporter Ann Guenter was surprised when a HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system suddenly appeared on the street a few meters in front of her – and opened fire on Russian targets.
20min/Ann Guenter
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20 Minutes reporter Ann Guenter reports on the war from Ukraine.
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On Monday she managed to take a rare shot: a few meters in front of her car was a Himar multiple rocket launcher.
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The Ukrainian soldiers who operated it fired a missile at enemy targets.
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“The power of this weapon makes you awe-inspiring,” says the 20 Minutes reporter.
20 Minutes reporter Ann Guenter reported from the war in Ukraine: «It was on Monday, March 6, just after 2 p.m. We were on our way to Sloviansk, a city in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Previously, we accompanied a team recovering fallen soldiers. More of that in the coming days. We rounded a curve – and there it was across the country road, the truck chassis with the Multiple rocket launcher artillery system Himars (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
There was a taxi in front of us, which also couldn’t go any further and whose driver must have been a bit taken aback by this rare sight. Tension arose immediately, it was clear that the soldiers would fire. Because the fire control system of the weapon system was erected.
“The missile hissed right past our car”
In addition, Himars are so expensive that they are not used for fun: Russian drones could detect the system immediately. Everything has to be done so quickly. Still, we waited at least ten minutes and had time to consider the additional vehicles needed for the whole system. Then there was a metallic hissing click: the soldiers had engaged the launch system.
It was launched after less than a minute, loud, very loud, the rocket hissed right past our left side window. What was going through my mind? It’s not easy to describe: the tremendous force fills you with awe, you feel vulnerable and fascinated at the same time. All sorts of questions ran through my head. Is it just one kill? Where will the rocket hit? Will Russian soldiers die now, tens of kilometers away? Or was the target a Russian ammunition depot, a section of the route that was important for Russian supplies?
“One stares in fascination at the clouds of smoke”
At the same time, one stares in fascination at the clouds of smoke that briefly envelop everything after the shot, then slowly evaporate and reveal the view of the deadly system again. It should stay with the one kill. The fire control system slid down silently, the soldier who had blocked the road got into his vehicle and not a minute later the convoy drove past us, flashing their lights as if to say thank you for waiting in the car.”
Mauro Mantovani from the Military Academy at the ETH (Milak) explains how important the Himar systems are for Ukraine. “This means that Russian command centers and supply hubs can be destroyed deep in the hinterland.” The advantage of the Himars: “They are very precise and can disappear quickly: Often the Himars have already changed their location before the rocket hits the target and the Russians can calculate where it came from,” says Mantovani.
The previous ammunition could reach a range of 80 kilometers. New ammunition with a range of about 150 kilometers should arrive in the coming days. “The Ukrainians with the Himars are already superior to the Russians in so-called counter-battery fire,” explains the Milak expert.
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