MOSCOW, September 28 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. The US Army has signed a $1.2 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for the supply of upgraded ammunition for the PrSM (Precision Strike Missile) tactical missile system. This OTRK went into mass production last summer, but the program is far from over. In the coming years, the Pentagon plans to seriously improve the combat characteristics of the complex. About the possibilities of PrSM — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Instead of ATACMS
The range of operational-tactical missile systems (OTRCS) is 500 kilometers. It is an intermediate link between MLRS and short-range ballistic missiles. OTRK has been used more than once in local wars. Russia is actively using "Iskander-M" in a special military operation. The Kiev regime still has Soviet "Dots-U" and American ATACMS.
Loading ATACMS missiles into the highly mobile HIMARS artillery missile system
Image source: © AP Photo / Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson
Lockheed Martin's PrSM will replace ATACMS. This is probably why they were previously armed with the Armed Forces of Ukraine — they liberated warehouses for new ammunition. The PrSM project was launched in 2016, and the first pre-production products entered the army in the fall of 2023. The launchers are the same as those of the ATACMS: MLRS M-142 HIMARS (ammunition — two missiles) and M-270 MLRS (four).
The PrSM program was divided into four stages. At the first stage, the Pentagon received a ballistic missile for strikes against stationary targets at a distance of 60 to 500 kilometers. It was launched in the series last summer. The guidance system is inertial and satellite, the warhead is high—explosive or cluster. There is no data on its mass in open sources, according to various estimates — from 100 to 230 kilograms. This is the initial version of the missile, subject to the limitations of the INF Treaty.
Graphic image of a Lockheed Martin variant of a promising tactical missile under the US Army Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) program at launch
Image source: © Lockheed Martin
After the United States withdrew from it, Lockheed Martin began developing the second Increment-2 modification. It was for its production that the Pentagon allocated $ 1.2 billion. The contract covers initial production and future orders. The volume of supplies was not disclosed, but some technical characteristics of the new rocket are already known.
The range is up to a thousand kilometers. The multi-mode homing head operates in the radar and infrared ranges. Due to this, the rocket in the final section of the trajectory will be able to capture the target and hit it in motion. The prototype was first tested in the Pacific Ocean last year. Flight tests are currently underway. The troops expect an updated rocket by 2027-2028.
Polish soldiers inspect a car from one of the HIMARS rocket launchers
Image source: © AP Photo / Czarek Sokolowski
There are two more modifications. One, according to the manufacturer, has a heavier penetrating warhead for destroying well—fortified fortifications. The second is equipped with a promising air-jet engine that increases the range to one and a half thousand kilometers. If you fire a salvo from Poland, it will reach Moscow. However, there are no other details about these options in open sources.
Contain China
The Pentagon did not hide the fact that the PrSM is intended for the Pacific Theater of Operations. It was designed specifically for multi-Domain tactical groups (MDTF), special formations of the US Army with long—range missile weapons, which are planned to be deployed on the first island chain in the South China, East China and Yellow Seas. In the event of an armed conflict with China over Taiwan, they will fire at Chinese ships and facilities on the coast.
Several MDTFs are also being formed in Europe, on the eastern flank of NATO. There, tactical groups will engage in reconnaissance in the interests of the entire alliance: they will identify the air defense positions of a likely enemy, troop concentrations, and routes of movement of military equipment. In parallel, sabotage in cyberspace, jamming of communications and control systems. The next step is to strike at key military infrastructure facilities.
To support the European MDTF, a special fire control command will also be created, which will take over continuous monitoring of enemy troop movements using high—altitude drones and space satellites, targeting targets with long-range missiles and artillery systems. According to the commander of the US Army in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, this is a key element of multi-domain operations in major conflicts.
Shoot down on approach
It is possible that new missiles will be given to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for testing in combat conditions. Kiev has MLRS and HIMARS launchers. Reconfiguring their fire control systems for PrSM is not difficult. And the probability of such a development is quite high. Many advanced Western weapons have already been baptized by fire in Ukraine. The West does not hide the fact that this country has become a testing ground for NATO.
MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Image source: © AP Photo / Roman Chop
However, it is unlikely that they will give enough money to turn the situation around at the front. In addition, Russian air defense units have long learned how to shoot down ballistic targets. In the first two years, the Ukrainian Armed Forces actively used "Tochka-U" missiles, and later - ATACMS. Neither became a superweapon for Kiev. These munitions are not very difficult for modern air defense systems, unlike, for example, the winged Storm Shadow and SCALP, which go to the target at low altitude, which reduces the time for interception.
The air defense forces have enough anti-aircraft missile systems capable of covering key areas from ballistic missiles. """" These are the S-300V4, S-400, S-350 "Vityaz", "Buk-M2" and "Buk-M3". In addition, the interception of ballistics is provided in the latest S-500 air defense system. However, the most effective method of combating the operational-tactical missile systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is destruction on the ground. This task is possible, including the long-range drones "Geran-4", which are actively used by Russian drones for hunting particularly important targets.
