Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4 prototype will use ramjet technology and an advanced sensor suite to strike moving ships over 1,000 kilometers away.
“As threats evolve throughout the global theater, the Army needs a modernized precision missile that can perform at ranges far beyond current capabilities. When fired from a HIMARS launcher, PrSM Increment 4 is expected to hit both moving maritime and relocatable land targets at least 1,000 km away,” reads the Lockheed Martin release.
According to a Monday release, Lockheed Martin’s PrSM Inc 4 prototype submission will use a propulsion system from L3Harris and existing guidance systems.
Work from company’s Strigo Product Center, a department specializing in the development of data links, frequency sensors and missile seekers, will inform the munition’s guidance suite. The statement highlighted the “battle-proven” guidance and control systems from PrSM Inc 1. This is in reference to the missile’s engagements during Operation Epic Fury against Iranian targets.
Lockheed Martin’s current PrSM Inc 1 and 2 missile production line at Camden, Arkansas, can support the production of the firm’s Inc 4 offering. According to the release, the use of existing lines will achieve “economies of scale for all versions of the missile.”
The American defense firm is one of five companies down selected by the U.S. Army for the extended-range maritime strike program. Lockheed Martin’s prototype will go against submissions from Anduril, Castelion, Mach Industries and RTX. Tests in 2027 and 2028 will inform the Army’s final award.
Derived from the ground branch’s operational needs, PrSM Inc 4 will form a key component of Washington’s ground-based anti-shipping capabilities against China. From launchers such as the M142 High Mobility Rocket Artillery System, U.S. forces plan to hold Chinese forces under threat from archipelagos in the First Island Chain. Canada and Australia also plan to field maritime strike PrSM variants on their HIMARS launchers.
