U.S. Army Plans To Involve Sea Services In PRSM Development

PRSM
Credit: Lockheed Martin

One month after holding the inaugural Project Convergence experiment, U.S. Army leaders are beginning to brainstorm the most advantageous way to partner with the Navy and Marine Corps on long-range precision fires.

The Marine Corps is interested in the Precision Strike Missile (PRSM) and what that technology can bring to the joint force on the future battlefield, Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, long-range precision fires cross-functional team director, said Oct. 15 during a virtual panel at the annual AUSA conference. 

The Army and Lockheed Martin conducted the third successful flight test of PRSM in April, which is slated to enter the field in 2023 and replace the Army Tactical Missile System. The aim is for the PRSM to travel 500 km (310 mi.), which is much greater distance than the legacy system offers today. If all goes to plan, the Army will fire a 500-km PRSM shot during Project Convergence 2021.

Rafferty envisions partnering with the Navy on maritime targets but acknowledges there is a “long way to go.”

The first PRSM spiral is focused on a cross-domain capability against maritime targets. The Army is developing a multimode seeker as part of the program’s first spiral, slated to enter service in 2025.