Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to develop LRMF missile for HIMARS and MLRS with a launch range of more than 1000 km

The US Army wants a tactical missile with a launch range of more than 1,000 km. Previously, its future was described as unclear.

Here's What We Know

It is the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4. But it has a new name - Long Range Maneuverable Fires (LRMF). The missile is intended for the M270A2 MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System and the M142 HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Lockheed Martin received $33.3 million to develop and demonstrate the LRMF. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon will work together on the missile. They have been awarded nearly $100 million to develop a prototype of the new long-range missile.

Lockheed Martin is now working on the PrSM Increment 1 missile with a range of up to 500km. The US Army is requesting funds from Congress to buy 110 missiles in fiscal year 2024. In addition, the service wants $273 million to develop the programme.

PrSM Increment 2 will get a multi-mode seeker, and PrSM Increment 3 is expected to have an increased lethality payload. The PrSM Increment 4 missile will be able to engage targets at ranges above 1,000 km and it is possible that it will appear before Increment 3.

The PrSM is a replacement for the tactical ballistic missile MGM-140 ATACMS. It can destroy enemy targets at a maximum range of 300 km. Development of the PrSM became possible in 2019 when the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missile Elimination Treaty with Russia, which prohibited building missiles with a launch range of 499-5000km.

Source: Breaking Defense