Sweden Buys US HIMARS Rockets in $729M Deal

Military Sentinel, Stockholm – Sweden has finalized a deal to buy roughly 10 Lockheed Martin HIMARS rocket artillery launchers for about $728.8 million, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson announced Monday, with deliveries set to begin in 2027 as Stockholm builds out its long-range fires capability.

What’s in the Deal

The contract covers approximately 10 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) along with ammunition, valued at roughly 7 billion Swedish kronor. Ammunition for the launchers will be manufactured domestically in Sweden by defense firm Saab, working in cooperation with Lockheed Martin.

The purchase follows a broader Foreign Military Sale the U.S. State Department approved for Sweden in March, covering up to 20 HIMARS launchers, more than 200 combined pods of guided rockets and Army Tactical Missile System munitions, and supporting equipment, in a package valued at up to $930 million. Sweden’s finalized order of roughly 10 systems is a smaller initial buy than the full approved package, and it remains unclear whether Stockholm plans further orders.

The System

• HIMARS mounts a single pod that fires either six guided rockets or one longer-range missile, drawing from the same family of munitions as the tracked M270 system
• The wheeled launcher can be loaded aboard a C-130 transport aircraft and flown directly into position
• Its core tactic — fire, then relocate before enemy artillery can return fire is commonly known as “shoot and scoot”

Ukraine’s use of HIMARS against Russian forces, striking targets beyond the reach of most conventional artillery, has driven a wave of new orders from European and allied militaries over the past two years.

Not Every Neighbor Chose the Same Path

Sweden’s choice contrasts with Norway, which requested pricing information on up to 16 HIMARS systems in 2024 but ultimately selected South Korea’s K239 Chunmoo rocket system instead, partnering with Norwegian firm Kongsberg on that program.

Other allies have moved ahead with Lockheed’s system: the U.S. approved new or additional HIMARS orders for Australia, Bahrain, and Canada in 2025, and Estonia has said it intends to pursue further purchases as well.

Production Capacity

Lockheed Martin increased its annual HIMARS production capacity from 60 to 96 launchers in 2024 to keep pace with rising international demand. The company also holds a separate $1.13 billion U.S. Army contract for full-rate production of 17 launchers supporting the Army, Marine Corps, and foreign buyers  including Australia, Canada, Estonia, Sweden, and Taiwan — with work scheduled to run through April 2028.

Strategic Implications

The deal signals Sweden’s push to field longer-range, more survivable fires as a NATO member bordering the Baltic, but the roughly 10-launcher initial order leaves Stockholm’s total planned fleet size an open question; whether it exercises the remainder of the $930 million approved sale envelope has not been confirmed by Swedish or U.S. officials in this report.

With deliveries not beginning until 2027, Sweden’s HIMARS won’t be combat-ready in the near term, but the purchase adds another Baltic-facing NATO member to the growing list of European operators standardizing around the same rocket-artillery family a trend likely to shape ammunition interoperability and joint fires planning across the alliance for years to come.