Tactical missiles are relied upon by army forces world wide, and the U.S. Military’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) handed a collection of necessary checks in late September 2025. 4 of the Lockheed Martin-built ground-to-ground missiles had been launched at targets 200km (124 miles) away on White Sands Missile Vary in New Mexico and a put up on the U.S. Military web site states that the missiles “met all targets for vary, trajectory, accuracy, and top of burst.”
The PrSM is slated to exchange the Military MGM-140 Tactical Missile System (ATACMS); each could be launched from truck-based HIMARS (HIgh-Mobility Artillery Rocket System) or tracked M270 missile launchers. Check variations of the PrSM had been launched from a HIMARS in December 2024 and an M270A2 in April 2025. PrSM missiles are housed in launcher pods that carry two missiles every — a HIMARS launcher carries one pod and the M270 can pack two. The older ATACMS launchers may solely maintain one missile in every pod, however HIMARS’ capacity to hold twice the firepower with PrSM is just one benefit to the improve.
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Elevated missile vary retains troopers protected
PrSM missile being launched into clear sky – Lockheed Martin
The PrSM guarantees to be efficient and correct over a for much longer distance than its predecessor, which makes the current checks necessary. Early ATACMS methods had been good at as much as 100km (62 miles), however present ones have a variety of round 300km (186.4 miles). PrSM missiles may sometime precisely strike targets as far-off as 400 km (about 248.5 miles); they’re the most recent in a line of long-range missiles that started with the Chilly Conflict-era Lance system. HIMARS launchers can maintain six extremely correct Guided a number of Launch Rockets or one long-range tactical missile, and PrSM permits HIMARS crews to fireplace from positions additional away from enemies than they might with the outgoing ATACMS system.
That is an instantaneous option to scale back threat of personnel and tools loss, and better vary means higher accuracy at shorter distances. Lockheed Martin reached out to Northrop Grumman to construct rocket motors for PrSM missiles, and the brand new propulsion system was examined in early 2022. On the time, Northrop Grumman VP of missile merchandise Rebecca Torzone made the declare that “Our new motor delivers enhanced efficiency that interprets to elevated weapon load out and standoff for our warfighters” One other of the PrSM’s necessary options will assist meet those self same two objectives.
The PrSM generally is a drone slinger
Raytheon Coyote drone on show desk in launcher – Raytheon
Drones are more and more changing into extra necessary to army forces world wide, prompting an array of anti-drone techniques. Ukraine’s civil air patrol is utilizing WWII-era prop planes to take out Russian drones, and Germany is relying on the Skyranger ground-to-air turret. The U.S. army has relied on drones closely in current conflicts, and the PrSM will assist enhance its offensive and defensive drone capabilities. The PrSM is at present able to launching anti-drone weaponry and could possibly be tailored to launch assault drones just like the Raytheon Coyote pictured above. These craft could possibly be loaded with Northrop Grumman’s Hatchet bombs, which weigh about 6 kilos and have GPS focusing on capabilities.
These extremely maneuverable weapons even have adaptive fusing to optimize detonation timing, and so they’ll permit forces to assault with smaller drones whereas boosting the firepower of bigger ones. Launching drones with the brand new PrSM HIMARS missile launchers is a two-layered technique to hold troopers and pilots out of hurt’s manner whereas enhancing their capacity to achieve far-away targets. Northrop Grumman additionally says it can proceed to develop the Hatchet’s focusing on system, which is already correct to beneath 2m (about 6 ft 7 inches). If these weapons could be reliably delivered to targets a pair hundred miles away, the U.S. army may have a definite edge on the trendy battlefield.
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