In an announcement on December 8, the US Army said it had received its first batch of new short-range ballistic missiles, called Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), following successful quality assessment testing in November, according to Defense News .
PrSM missile during a single launch
Developed by Lockheed Martin, the PrSM is an all-weather surface-to-surface missile with a range of approximately 400 km. The missile can be equipped with a single warhead or multiple smaller warheads to function as a cluster bomb.
It can be launched from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the M270A2 Multiple Rocket Launcher System.
The U.S. Army said in November that the PsSM would soon replace the MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), significantly increasing its range and lethality. The ATACMS has a range of only 300 km. Each HIMARS system can carry two PsSM missiles compared to only one ATACMS.
HIMARS launcher launches ATACMS
The ATACMS missile has gained notoriety since its mention in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. After numerous requests, Ukraine finally received the M39 version of the ATACMS, which can carry 1,000 small warheads and has a range of approximately 160 km. This weapon has been in service in Ukraine since October.
HIMARS continues to wreak havoc on Russian forces.
"The Precision Strike Missile will provide Joint Force commanders with the capability to operate at all times, in all weather conditions, against enemy air attack and defense capabilities," said Assistant Secretary of the Army Doug Bush.
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