The US Army has awarded five separate Other Transaction Authority agreements for Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4 prototype development, launching efforts to develop a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile)-range rocket artillery munition.
Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Mach Industries, and RTX have been selected to develop prototypes capable of being launched from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
The munition is also required to engage moving maritime and relocatable land targets at ranges of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) or greater, about twice the range of the current PrSM.
Initial prototype development will culminate in a competitive fly-off and down-select in fiscal 2027, based on design maturity. This will be followed by a final competitive fly-off among the selected vendors in fiscal 2028.
The development follows a $1.21-billion contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in mid-September for the PrSM Increment 2 Early Operational Capability.
Unlike the baseline Increment 1, which was designed primarily to engage land targets, Increment 2 adds the ability to engage maritime and relocatable land targets at ranges of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles), while Increment 4 builds on those capabilities. According to the US Army, Increment 4 is intended primarily for use in the Indo-Pacific theater of operations.
Increment 2 adds a new multimode seeker designed to detect, track, and engage moving targets. Increment 4 will use the Increment 2 seeker as part of its extended-range configuration.
Extended Range
To achieve the required extended range, L3Harris Technologies, which is partnering with Lockheed Martin on the Increment 4 prototype, is providing ramjet propulsion.
L3Harris’ propulsion technology combines rocket-booster and ramjet propulsion. After the initial boost phase, the missile uses atmospheric oxygen to sustain combustion in its ramjet engine, eliminating the need to carry an onboard oxidizer during cruise flight.
Launched from existing HIMARS, the weapon is designed to operate in GPS-denied environments, while its high control authority and terminal velocity are intended to complicate interception in anti-access/area-denial scenarios.
Increment 4 development is being accelerated for the Indo-Pacific, where the weapon is intended to threaten long-range land and maritime targets.
The US Army used PrSM Increment 1 in combat for the first time in March during the conflict with Iran. In August, Reuters reported that the US had used “virtually all” of its ATACMS and PrSM stockpiles, citing people familiar with the data.