Ukraine's newest weapon: special Himars rockets that can devastate huge areas in one blast

Ukrainian troops have received a new type of Himars rocket capable of devastating half a square mile of land in a single salvo, as they prepare to take on Russian defensive positions in Kherson.

The new ammunition variant for the long-range rocket system, supplied by the US, is designed to blast almost 200,000 tungsten ball bearings across a large area, causing damage to troops and soft skinned vehicles.

Current Ukrainian stocks of the precision rockets use the M31 Unitary Warhead, best suited for destroying individual targets such as headquarters buildings or ammunition dumps.

The M31 has a 90kg explosive charge contained inside a fragmentation sleeve which produces distinctive, diamond-shaped shrapnel. It is not ideal against targets spread over large areas, as the deadly chunks are not designed to fly far.

In contrast, the new M30A1 rocket contains 182,000 tungsten ball bearings specially designed to cover a much larger area.

Images on Twitter from the Ukraine Weapons Tracker site showed pods of M30A1 rockets in Ukraine. Markings on the base of the missiles show the correct manufacturer and lot numbers for the new variant.

Ukrainian forces are likely to have requested the weapon as they continue to push back Russian units from the north-east and southern fronts.

In recent weeks, Kyiv’s troops advancing east from Kharkiv have largely bypassed concentrations of Russian firepower, preferring to race around Moscow’s forces whilst staying out of weapons-range, in a bid to cut off and slowly strangle the defensive positions.

Long-range precision artillery, such as Himars, has been critical in these engagements to keep Russian reinforcements at bay and destroy ammunition dumps that could be used to break up the Ukrainian attacks.

However, the next phase of the war will likely see Kyiv’s troops taking on better-prepared Russian positions, particularly in the south around the city of Kherson - an area the Kremlin's forces have occupied since March.

Highly precise missiles like the M31 will still be used in these attacks, but will need to work in tandem with the new rocket variant.

Here, the much wider effective area of the M30A1, which can be programmed to explode in the air above concentrations of troops, will be used to chew up trench systems and clear routes through which Ukrainian soldiers can advance.

The M30A1 missiles replaced earlier cluster munitions that were used to great effect in the Gulf War, but left behind lots of unexploded bombs.

Many civilians around the world have been maimed and killed by such devices, sometimes years after military conflict has ended. Children are especially vulnerable as they are attracted to the small devices and often do not understand what they are.

The US replaced its stocks of the M26 rocket, which blasted over 600 small bomblets - known as "steel rain" - over a wide area, with the M31, which has a single, large explosive charge and does not leave harmful unexploded munitions behind.

However, military chiefs have for years sought an "area weapon" that can kill troops in the open, in shallow trenches or in soft-skinned vehicles.

The M30A1 rockets, known as the Alternative Warhead by makers Lockheed Martin, are thought to have been included in the Pentagon’s latest package of military aid to Ukraine.

This week the US announced a further $625 million of equipment and ammunition would be sent to bolster Kyiv’s forces as they prepare to take on Russians dug in to defensive positions.

Four additional Himars launchers will be given to Ukraine, taking the total to 20 such systems.

The US has already promised a further 18 launchers under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a plan to meet Kyiv’s longer-term defence needs. These systems are expected to take up to two years to arrive.