US Army funds S&T effort for PrSM Inc 5

An illustration of an extended-range precision-strike missile being launched from a beach. Lockheed Martin is one of two defence industry teams working on the US Army's Precision Strike Missile Increment 4. (Lockheed Martin)

A new science and technology (S&T) line of effort will be funded in fiscal year (FY) 2026 for an extended-range ground-based missile, the US Armyrevealed on 3 December.

Once fielded, Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 1 (Inc 1) will be the longest-range land-based missile in the US Army's arsenal. Four increments have already been announced, but a fifth increment is in the works, said Brigadier General Rory Crooks, director of the Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team (CFT).

While Brig Gen Crooks declined to share a timeline for the development of the weapon, he told the audience at an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) event that research is being poured into how to make a longer pod.

A typical army Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) is 13 ft long, he noted. “If you have something without a cab that's autonomous, you might be able to employ something longer than that later down the road,” he added.

It is unclear how much the range will be extended for PrSM Inc 5 because of how early it is in the development process, said Brig Gen Crooks. “We think Increment 5 – when you free up the design so that it's not constrained by a current MLRS family and munitions pod length – we're going to see how much more range we can achieve out of that,” he said. “Whether or not we can achieve hypersonic speeds with that capability, at what payloads – these are all things that are on the table right now.”