PrSM flies 400km in longest test to date

By Ethan Sterenfeld / May 12, 2021 at 4:47 PM

The Precision Strike Missile flew 400 kilometers in a May 12 flight test at the White Sands Missile Range, NM, the farthest that PrSM has flown so far, Lockheed Martin announced.

This was the first of three demonstrations scheduled for this year as part of the enhanced technology maturation and risk-reduction phase of development for PrSM, according to a company press release. The next ETMRR flight tests, scheduled for this fall, include a maximum-range flight test and a demonstration at the Army's Project Convergence exercise.

Previously, the longest distance PrSM had flown in a test flight was 240km, in December 2019.

"Today's event, of course, is now the fourth consecutive successful flight test with the U.S. Army," Gaylia Campbell, vice president of precision fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a phone call with reporters. "It flew with the expected precision to the target area, where it once again demonstrated a highly accurate and effective warhead event."

Test objectives included confirming the range, accuracy, lethality and integration with the launch vehicle, Campbell said.

The test was launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which is mounted on a 5-ton truck, she said. The missile will also be compatible with the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Lockheed expects the Army to decide this summer whether to proceed to the engineering and manufacturing development phase, according to Campbell.

PrSM is designed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System. PrSM will have two missiles per pod, compared to one per pod for the ATACMS, and PrSM is expected to have a range of greater than 500km.

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