Army accepts first delivery of Long Range Precision Strike Missiles
- Army wants to replace Tactical Missile System with Precision Strike Missiles
- It recently received its first delivery of PrSMs from Lockheed Martin
- Precision Strikes Missiles give Army 24/7, all-weather capability
Army soldiers advancing in combat.
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(NewsNation) — The U.S. Army announced it received its first delivery of Long Range Precision Strike missiles from Lockheed Martin.
A news release from the Army says that this missile was tested in November at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
“The Precision Strike Missile will provide Joint Force commanders with a 24/7, all-weather capability that will counter the enemy’s ability to conduct combat maneuver and air defense operations,” Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said in a statement. “The rapid development and delivery of this capability is a prime example of the Army’s aggressive use of new acquisition authorities from Congress that allow us to move at much greater speed to get improved equipment to soldiers.”
While the release says the Precision Strike Missiles are capable of neutralizing targets at standoffs of more than 250 miles, DefenseNews reports that in October 2021, the Army conducted a long-range flight test believed to exceed 310 miles.
DefenseNews wrote that the delivery of the precision missiles is one of 24 major modernization programs the Army was trying to get to soldiers by the end of the year. The Precision Strike Missiles are meant to replace the Army Tactical Missile System, which Business Insider says has a maximum range of 186 miles.
Along with the extended range, the new missile also doubles the volume of fire for a HIMARS launch pod, as the pod can hold two Precision Strike Missiles instead of just a single Army Tactical Missiles System munition, according to Business Insider.
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $62 million contract for early operational capability production in September 2021, DefenseNews writes. Then, in 2022, the Army gave Lockheed another $158 million for more early operational-capability missiles.
Now, the publication reports that the Army is planning add-ons to the new weapons, such as an enhanced seeker and technology for increased lethality and extended range. Lockheed Martin and an RTX and Northtrop Grumman team are competing for this next phase of the program.
