The M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is the newest multiple rocket launcher developed by the US, and is essentially a smaller and more mobile version of the M270 MLRS. In contrast to the tracked M270, the M142 is wheeled system based on the FMTV six-wheel, five-ton truck which can come with an armored cabin for additional crew protection if necessary. Instead of the M270's twin rocket pods, the HIMARS carries only one but is essentially identical, capable of carrying the exact same munitions. Each pod carries up to six 227-mm rockets including the GMLRS series which feature an extended range of up to 92 km and enhanced accuracy through GPS guidance. Alternatively, it can be used to fire a single ATACMS surface-to-surface missile with a range of up to 300 km, or two PrSM precision strike munitions which are currently entering service. By far the biggest advantage of the HIMARS over the M270 is its air-transportability: it can be carried in a C-130 or A400M medium transport whereas the M270 requires at least a C-17. The HIMARS first saw action with the US Army in Afghanistan and Iraq and has since been adopted by the US Marines as well, where it is planned to fully replace their M270s. Export customers include Jordan, Romania, Singapore, the UAE. By far its most famous export user, however, is Ukraine which has used it with tremendous success against Russian forces since mid-2022, with many observers singling it out as a game-changer on the battlefield given its ability to strike accurately well away from Russian counter-battery fire. No HIMARS has yet been destroyed in action.

The M142 HIMARS had a protracted development which began in the early 1980s but only gathered steam in the 1990s following the Gulf War, where the need for a lighter MRL than the M270 became evident. No major variants have been built.