Iran conflict 2026: US Army ATACMS sinks sub, surface vessels

An M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) is shown during Operation ‘Epic Fury'. “Part of this photo was blurred for security purposes,” according to the DoD. (CENTCOM)

US forces launched the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against Iranian surface vessels during Operation ‘Epic Fury', Joint Chief of Staff General Dan Caine, told reporters on 13 March.

ATACMSs have been used to sink “multiple ships”, including a submarine, said Gen Caine during a Pentagon briefing. This comes as US Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed earlier in the month that the US Army's Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) also fired from artillery launchers were used for the first time.

PrSM as well as ATACMS can be launched by the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which have been used throughout the conflict. It is unclear how many missiles in total have been fired or how many ships have been sunk. In an 11 March video, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the US had hit more than 60 ships.

HIMARSs were used in combat on at least five separate days, according to dates on the photos of HIMARS operations posted to the Department of Defense's (DoD's) website on 13 March. The photos do not indicate where they were taken.

M270A2 launchers can also fire ATACMS and HIMARS, but those systems have not been named in CENTCOM statements outlining assets in the region.

It is also not clear if the army or the US Marine Corps (USMC) have been executing ATACMS strikes against naval targets during the operation. The marines' HIMARSs have the capability to fire ATACMS, a defence official confirmed to Janes .