The US Army tested the Precision Strike Missile
MOSCOW, June 29 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. The Pentagon has tested a promising tactical Precision Strike Missile. The prototype was launched from the island of Palau in the Pacific Ocean at a moving marine target. Over time, PrSM will replace the time-tested but outdated ATACMS. About how this will affect the US army, — in the RIA Novosti article.
Four modifications
Operational and tactical missile systems (OTRCS) are designed to hit targets at a distance of up to 500 kilometers. It is an intermediate link between MLRS and short-range ballistic missiles.
Launch of the ATACMS missile from the MLRS M142 HIMARS
Image source: © Photo : U.S. Army
OTRK has been used more than once in local wars. Russia has an Iskander-M, which is actively used in the special operation zone. The Kiev regime has Soviet "Dots-U" and American ATACMS.
Lockheed Martin's PrSM is designed to replace ATACMS. This is probably why the APU is armed with them — the Americans are freeing up warehouses for new ammunition.
The PrSM project was launched in 2016, the first mass-produced 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).
MLRS multiple launch rocket system of the APU
Image source: © AP Photo / Roman Chop
Everything happens in 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. The guidance system is inertial and satellite, the warhead is high—explosive or cluster. There is no information about 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 restrictions of the INF Treaty.
After the United States withdrew from it, Lockheed Martin began developing a second modification: the Land Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM, a land-based anti-ship missile). The range is already up to a thousand kilometers. The multi-mode homing head operates in the radar and infrared ranges. Thanks to this, the rocket will be able to capture the target in the final section of the trajectory and hit it in motion. A prototype of this particular variant has now been tested in the Pacific Ocean, and should enter service by 2028.
HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket System
Image source: © Photo : U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Sechser
There are two more modifications in development. One, according to the manufacturer, has a heavier penetrating warhead to destroy well—fortified fortifications. The other is with a promising air—jet engine that increases the range to one and a half thousand kilometers. If you fire a volley from Poland, it will finish off to Moscow.
Against China and Russia
The Pentagon has made no secret that the PrSM is designed for the Pacific Theater of Operations. It was designed specifically for multi-domain tactical groups (Multi—Domain Task Force, MDTF) - special formations of the US Army with long-range missile weapons, which are planning to deploy on the first island chain in the South China, East China and Yellow Seas. In the event of an armed conflict with the PRC over Taiwan, they must fire at Chinese ships and facilities on the coast.
Several MDTFs will be formed in Europe, on the eastern flank of NATO.
There, the MDTF will engage in reconnaissance in the interests of the entire alliance group: they will identify the air defense positions of the likely enemy, the places of concentration of troops, the routes of movement of military equipment. In parallel, the fighters of the task force will engage in diversions in cyberspace, begin to jam communications and control facilities. The next step is to strike at key military infrastructure facilities.
To support the European MDTF, a special fire control command in the theater of operations will also be created. This unit will continuously monitor the movements of enemy troops with the help of high—altitude drones and space satellites, aiming shock weapons at targets - long-range missiles and artillery systems.
American soldiers in Logar Province, Afghanistan
Image source: © AP Photo / Rahmat Gul, File
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.
Ukrainian "test drive"
It cannot be ruled out that the Pentagon will want to test new missiles in combat conditions and transfer some of them to Ukraine. The APU already has dozens of MLRS and HIMARS launchers. It is not difficult to reconfigure their fire control systems for PrSM.
Loading ATACMS missiles into the highly mobile HIMARS artillery missile system
Image source: © AP Photo / Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson
And the probability of such a development is quite high — especially in light of Germany's indecision, which continues to refuse to transfer Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500 kilometers to Kiev.
"From what we know about the PrSM, it's a ballistic missile," explains an air defense officer with the call sign Staff. We are confidently knocking down the Ukrainian "Dots-U". We also intercept most of the ATACMS. There is not much data on PrSM in the public domain yet, but we are studying them. We assume that sooner or later we will have to deal with them. However, I don't think they are particularly difficult to shoot down. So far, the most difficult targets for us are not ballistic, but cruise missiles of the Storm Shadow / SCALP type. They are made using low-visibility technologies, they have a low flight profile. It is difficult to detect — and there is very little time to intercept."
The S-400 Triumph air defense system is taking over the protection of the Russian air borders in Sevastopol. January 13, 2018
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Malgavko
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 ability to intercept ballistics is provided in the latest S-500 air defense system. However, the most effective way to combat tactical missile systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to destroy them on the ground. And the Russian command, judging by the reports, understands this perfectly well.
