HIMARS Roars in Malaysia for the First Time: Malaysia, US Army Conduct Historic Rocket Barrage in “Lembing Sakti 2025”
Joint ASTROS-HIMARS Rocket Firepower in Perak Signals Growing Malaysia-US Military Integration Amid Regional Strategic Shifts
In a watershed moment for Malaysia’s defence posture and US military cooperation in Southeast Asia, the US Army’s M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) has, for the first time, unleashed its guided rocket payload on Malaysian soil.
The landmark live-fire event took place during “Eksesais Lembing Sakti 2025,” a joint bilateral exercise between the Malaysian Army and the United States Army, showcasing precision-guided artillery warfare and deep-strike interoperability in an era of rising Indo-Pacific tensions.
Held at the Tanjung Hantu Firing Range in the Segari Melintang Forest Reserve, Perak, the event featured both the US Army’s HIMARS system and the Malaysian Army’s Brazilian-built ASTROS II multiple launch rocket system in a synchronized firepower display.
The exercise, described by military observers as “strategically unprecedented,” was witnessed by Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, and Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, underlining the drill’s national significance.
Key dignitaries in attendance included the Chief of the Malaysian Army, General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan, and USARPAC Deputy Commanding General Major General Reginald Neal, reinforcing the drill’s bilateral military weight.
According to a Malaysian Army statement, the Lembing Sakti 2025 live-fire exercise involved real-time launches of SS-30 and SS-40 rockets from ASTROS II platforms and the integration of HIMARS missile systems from the US Army, a powerful fusion of regional and global artillery doctrine.
“This exercise also involved multi-agency coordination with the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), and the Marine Police Force,” the statement noted.
Beyond kinetic demonstration, the drill also facilitated a Complete Round Proof (CRP) validation of the SS-30 and SS-40 rockets, in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Research Institute (STRIDE), ensuring combat-readiness and system integrity.
“Eksesais Lembing Sakti 2025 not only enhances the Malaysian Army’s operational firepower and personnel readiness but also strengthens bilateral defence ties with trusted partners. Joint exercises such as this elevate our modern artillery capabilities and enable cross-domain coordination in anticipation of future multi-theatre threats,” the Malaysian Army said.
First inducted in 2002 from Brazil’s Avibras, the ASTROS II system forms the backbone of the Malaysian Army’s rocket artillery strike regiment and has since expanded into a dual-regiment formation, comprising 36 launcher vehicles capable of saturation bombardment.
The ASTROS II system delivers strategic firepower across ranges spanning 9 km to 90 km, depending on the rocket variant, using high-explosive (HE) warheads and interchangeable launch tube configurations that allow multi-calibre adaptability.
Designed as one of the world’s most versatile mobile rocket launchers, ASTROS II supports an array of guided and unguided munitions including:
- SS 09TS (70mm) – range: 4–10 km
- SS 30 (127mm) – range: up to 30 km
- SS 40/SS 40G (180mm) – GPS-guided, range: up to 40 km
- SS 60 and SS 80/SS 80G (300mm) – range: up to 90 km
- SS 150 (450mm, GPS-guided) – range: up to 150 km
- AV-TM 300 cruise missile – range: up to 300 km, offering long-range deep-strike capability
An operational ASTROS II unit comprises several mission-critical components, including:
- AV-VCC (4×4): Battalion Command Vehicle
- AV-PCC (4×4): Battery Command Vehicle
- AV-UCF (6×6): Fire-Control Radar Vehicle
- AV-LMU (6×6): Main Launcher Vehicle (typically 6 per battery)
- AV-RMD (6×6): Ammunition Supply Vehicle
- AV-OFVE: Mobile Workshop
- AV-MET (4×4): Meteorological Support Vehicle
Designed with full mobility in mind, the entire system is air-transportable via the C-130 Hercules, allowing strategic redeployment across remote or contested regions in Southeast Asia’s diverse terrain.
The ASTROS II’s modular launch design gives the Malaysian Army flexible tactical options to saturate enemy formations, deny area access, or conduct deep interdiction—capabilities that are critical in today’s rapidly evolving regional threat matrix.
Meanwhile, HIMARS has emerged as one of the world’s most in-demand precision-strike systems following its battlefield successes in Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria, gaining international recognition for its rapid-deployment configuration and devastating accuracy.
Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, HIMARS is a 6×6 wheeled platform based on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), offering enhanced mobility compared to the tracked M270 MLRS and capable of C-130 transport for expeditionary missions.
HIMARS carries a single missile pod, capable of loading:
- 6 × GMLRS (227mm Guided Multiple Launch Rockets)
- 1 × ATACMS tactical ballistic missile
- 1 × PrSM (Precision Strike Missile), the next-generation long-range missile
Its primary strike munitions include:
- GMLRS: 70–85 km range with GPS/INS guidance and <10 m CEP
- ATACMS (Block I/IA): Tactical ballistic missile with 165–300 km range
- PrSM: Expected range exceeding 500 km, precision-enhanced and operational by 2025–2026
These precision-guided munitions enable HIMARS to destroy high-value strategic targets such as command centers, enemy airfields, air defence systems, and logistics hubs from long standoff ranges, well beyond the reach of counter-battery fire.
The platform’s integration into US and allied forces has revolutionized modern artillery doctrine, blending rapid mobility with accurate standoff engagement in both symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare environments.
Since entering full service in 2005, HIMARS has been a game-changer in US military campaigns and was instrumental in enabling Ukraine to strike deep into Russian lines, triggering a surge in international procurement interest.
Its deployment in Malaysia—albeit for training—is emblematic of Washington’s efforts to deepen operational interoperability with regional allies and project conventional firepower across the Indo-Pacific in response to rising threats from China and North Korea.
For Malaysia, the integration of HIMARS into “Lembing Sakti 2025” not only signals growing strategic alignment with the United States but also underlines its ambition to evolve into a modern force capable of joint, precision-led operations alongside Tier-1 militaries.
As regional militaries scramble to adapt to the era of long-range precision fires, rocket artillery systems like ASTROS II and HIMARS represent the cutting edge of high-intensity land warfare in Southeast Asia’s increasingly contested battlespace.
In a world where firepower and speed dictate survival, Malaysia’s move to host HIMARS firings and double down on ASTROS II readiness affirms its place among modern military forces ready to deter, defend, and dominate across multiple domains.
