U.S. Marines Test Fire HIMARS Rockets Near Mount Fuji

U.S. Marines test fired a dozen rockets from a mobile launcher on Wednesday at a range in the foothills of Mount Fuji in Japan. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, is mounted on a military truck. It can be brought out from concealment, fire its rockets, then move quickly to a new location to avoid counter-battery fire.

U.S. military's Camp Fuji, about a two-hour drive from Tokyo. It was the second time the HIMARS was tested at the camp and was conducted in coordination with Japanese military forces. A public road between the firing point and the impact area was closed during the drill. The launcher used dummy projectiles. The system is generally equipped with shorter-range rockets.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command said it was employed in the opening attack on Iran, where it launched a new precision-guided rocket that could reach targets hundreds of miles away. The system is becoming more important because of the use of drones on battlefields, which make static positions more vulnerable.

HIMARS systems with the latest missiles could reach targets in the Taiwan Strait if deployed on Japanese or other islands nearby.