Lockheed Martin has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop an advanced propulsion solution for the US Army’s future Long Range Maneuverable Fires (LRMF) missile.
The LRMF is a precision-fire missile that can deploy from existing US Army launchers, including the battle-proven High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS.
According to Rocketdyne, the LRMF can “significantly exceed” other weapons under the Precision Strike Missile baseline set by the US Army.
“Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion has powered US Army systems for decades, and we look forward to leveraging that experience and our talented workforce to develop next-generation missiles with significantly extended range,” Aerojet Rocketdyne President and CEO Eileen Drake said.
“In addition to providing Soldiers the edge in offensive operations, this extended range missile will serve as a powerful deterrent, promising effective strike capabilities from long ranges.”
Long Range Maneuverable Fires Program
Lockheed and Rocketdyne’s partnership supports a contract ordering a new weapon system with over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of range for the US Army.
Before Rocketdyne’s participation, Lockheed teamed with Raytheon to advance associated processes for the LRMF design.
Lockheed also collaborated with Northrop Grumman to design the missile’s propulsion technology for extended range.
Together, Raytheon and Northrop will develop enhancements for the LRMF’s lethality and survivability throughout the program.
Work for the first phase involves missile system design and risk reduction approaches.
This stage includes the development of a propulsion subsystem that will be integrated with the DeepStrike-ER, an advanced platform concept allowing missiles to achieve planned effectiveness and range against next-generation threats.