Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Army and Air National Guard conducted a joint mission on June 3rd and 4th that was a first of its kind for Tennessee.
Nashville’s 118th Airlift Wing provided four C-130 aircraft to move 16 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Fort Chaffee, AR, for the 1-181st Field Artillery Battalion, headquartered in Chattanooga. The battalion is conducting its annual training and range firing at Fort Chaffee.
“Some of our individuals have done this type of operation before in the desert, but this is the first time for our unit and in such a massive way,” said Lt. Col. Jay Jackson, 118th AW, Operational Support Flight Chief.
The HIMARS departed from the National Guard Volunteer Training Site in Smyrna as well as another location in Chattanooga. Only one system will fit into each C-130, so multiple trips over two-days were made to deliver all 16 safely to Fort Chaffee.
At Fort Chaffee, the 1-181st will complete a number of certification tasks with the systems, including live firing of the HIMARS.
“Overall, this was a phenomenal effort by the Tennessee Air and Army Guard,” said Lt. Col. Jackson. “The Army was very pleased with the efficiency and the training they received by airlifting these systems, and our Air folks received valuable training as well.
The battalion first received the HIMARS in 2006, with the first firing taking place at Fort Campbell, Ky. They were the first National Guard unit to field the state-of-the-art systems, and only the second unit in the U.S. Army to do so.
“The HIMARS are capable of coming off the plane when it lands and being mission ready and firing in about 15 minutes,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Coleman, Training NCO with the battalion’s A Battery. “Other benefits of the system are that it is more easily air transportable, the launchers are GPS aided, and the of the rockets are long range.”
Each HIMARS requires at least two operators, but usually consist of a three-man team to run the system. This team is made up of a driver, a gunner, and a chief.
“The gunner helps navigate the vehicles and the rockets from inside the HIMARS,” Coleman said. Adding, “The Chief verifies the data is safe and that the team had a good fire mission.”
The systems are much smaller than the unit’s previous system, the M-270 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) launcher, which required a C-5 or C-17 for transport due to its size.
