PARIS — Sweden signed off on the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s M142 HIMARS rocket-artillery system for around 7 billion Swedish kronor (US$733 million), with the government saying the security situation is such that it needs rapidly available capabilities to complement its Archer self-propelled howitzers.

The first deliveries of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System are scheduled for 2027, the Swedish Ministry of Defence said on Monday. Buying the American-produced rocket artillery will allow the Swedish Armed Forces to operate over larger areas and with greater long-range capacity than with the current artillery systems, the ministry said.

“The introduction of rocket artillery clearly demonstrates that Sweden is taking responsibility for security in Europe,” Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.

While Estonia in April expressed concern about possibly delivery delays for HIMARS ammunition due to the Iran war, the Swedish calendar indicates potential bottlenecks may not affect launcher production.

Sweden’s neighboring Norway in January picked Hanwha to supply its Chunmoo rocket artillery system, preferring the South Korean system over HIMARS due to the availability of longer-range munitions.

“The fact that we are now procuring HIMARS and getting long-range precision combat capability on the ground is important not only for the Army but for the Armed Forces as a whole and for our allies,” said Swedish Army chief Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari in a separate statement.

With Europe currently lacking a home-made equivalent to HIMARS, the Swedish purchase of the U.S. system and Norway acquiring Chunmoo reduces the commercial space for a French rocket artillery system being developed by MBDA and Safran.

The HIMARS systems will be organized in a rocket artillery unit in accordance with plans announced in 2024, Pekkari said. Sweden’s defense bill for the 2025-2030 period, published in 2024, set plans for a rocket artillery unit alongside two Archer battalions.

In parallel with the purchase, Lockheed Martin and Saab are signing a joint declaration on potential integration of Saab’s Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb and production of munitions for HIMARS, as well as other systems such as the Patriot air-defense system, the ministry said.

Additionally, Sweden and Finland signed a declaration to cooperate on rocket artillery, including on training, security of supply and production, with Finland’s Multiple Launch Rocket System using the same munitions and components as HIMARS, according to the Swedish ministry.