Northrop Grumman advances PrSM rocket motor testing

Northrop Grumman conducted a sixth static test of its rocket motor for the Precision Strike Missile weapon system at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia, in late September 2021. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has completed a further static qualification test of its advanced rocket motor design for the US Army's prospective Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) weapon system.

Conducted in late September 2021 at the company's Allegany Ballistics Laboratory located in Rocket Center, West Virginia, the test was the sixth in a series of planned extended static qualification tests that will be finalised by the end of 2022.

“We are currently under contract for a series of 18 PrSM rocket motor qualification tests in total. These will wrap up by end of 2022 and the motor will then be ready for integration with the PrSM missile in 2023. The full system will then be ready for low-rate initial production (LRIP). At this point in development, the motor being tested currently will be the motor that goes into the PrSM LRIP,” a Northrop Grumman spokesperson told Janes .

“This was the latest in a series of extreme [hot/cold] operational temperature testing. Particularly challenging, [this sixth test] nevertheless validated that the motor met all performance requirements after being conditioned to extreme cold temperatures,” the spokesperson noted. The static rocket motor qualification effort includes thrust profiles, ballistics, and mechanical and motor integrity. “At this stage we are trying to incrementally eliminate risks. Each coming test is very prescriptive in proving risk mitigation,” the spokesperson added.