The Army is nearing acceptance and fielding of the initial Lockheed Martin [LMT] -built Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), which follows a successful first production qualification test with the new weapon.
“Preliminary results from the test show the PrSM Inc. 1 missile performed nominally in terms of predicted flight trajectory, lethality, near-vertical engagement angle, and height of burst,” the Army said in a statement. “The successful flight test satisfies the criteria for acceptance of PrSM Inc. 1 Early Operational Capability (EOC) missiles in 1Q FY24.”
PrSM is the Army’s program to replace its legacy ATACMS missiles, also built by Lockheed Martin, with the base weapon reaching ranges up to 500 kilometers, while officials have noted future increments may push to double the capability’s range.
The recent flight test was conducted at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, which Lockheed Martin noted was a short-range demonstration with the new missile fired from a HIMARS launcher to hit a target set.
“While not PrSM’s primary mission range, the short-range flight represents the most stressful, dynamic environment for the missile as it maneuvers at hypersonic speeds to align to the target. This test verifies structural integrity of the missile and trajectory control,” the company said in a statement.
Lockheed Martin did not disclose the specific range reached during the test, but noted it was shorter than an 85 kilometer test conducted in 2020.
“This demonstration is the first of several production qualification tests moving PrSM closer to fielding and delivery of Early Operational Capability (EOC) missiles this year,” Jay Price, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s vice president of precision fires, said in a statement.
A final test report on the recent production qualification demonstration is expected in December, according to the Army.
The Army has awarded three production contracts to Lockheed Martin to date for additional PrSM Inc. 1 EOC missiles, with Lockheed Martin noting it received the most recent deal in September.
Earlier this year, the Army tapped Lockheed Martin and a team of RTX [RTX] and Northrop Grumman [NOC] for the Long Range Maneuverable Fires (LRMF) to work on developing long-range missile concepts to inform the design of a future extended range version of PrSM (Defense Daily, March 27).