U.S. agrees to sell Netherlands HIMARS rockets in €627 million deal

The United States approved the possible sale of HIMARS rocket launching systems and related equipment to the Netherlands. According to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Netherlands is interested in 20 Himars systems and other weapons that will cost an estimated 670 million dollars, or 627 million euros.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Defense told NOS that nothing had been signed yet. It is customary for the U.S. government to announce large arms transactions even before they are final.

According to the American agency, “the proposed sale will improve the Netherlands’ military goal of upgrading capability while further enhancing the interoperability with the United States and other allies.” The Netherlands wants to use these weapons to “modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats,” the agency said.

Last year, State Secretary Christophe van der Maat of Defense said that the Netherlands was looking to buy rocket artillery weapons for the first time since 2004. The war in Ukraine underlined the need “to be able to act in all parts of the spectrum of violence,” Van der Maat told parliament at the time.

He mentioned HIMARS as an option, saying that Defense would spend between 250 million and 1 billion euros on a purchase.

HIMARS stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. The rocket launchers have a range of up to 300 kilometers.