Pentagon budget 2022: US Army caps future PrSM range at 650 km
by Ashley Roque
Future iterations of the US Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) could reach targets out to 650 km, according to new budget documents that seemingly cap the weapon’s capability at a shorter range than previously discussed.
On 28 May the White House delivered its fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) budget request to lawmakers. Included in the army’s portion is a USD354.5 million ask for PrSM next year USD188.5 million to continue PrSM research and development (R&D), and USD166 million for the purchase of 110 missiles.
The service is currently testing PrSM prototypes in anticipation of fielding a baseline capability in 2023 that will have a range exceeding 500 km. Even with the first missile increment fielded, the army plans to continue upgrading missile with a multimode seeker that will enable it to also strike maritime targets, and reach ones further away. Brigadier General John Rafferty, head of the
Army preps for key tests of seeker capable of attacking maritime targets January 20 Lockheed Martin s PrSM missile was tested for a third time at White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico, on April 30, 2020. (Lockheed Martin) WASHINGTON The Army is preparing for key tests of a multimode seeker for munitions that will be capable of attacking maritime targets, but current funding will prevent a faster timeline to integrate it into the Army’s future long-range missile, according to Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, who is in charge of the service’s long-range precision fires modernization efforts. The Precision Strike Munition (PrSM) is on track for initial fielding in 2023, but the in-development multimode seeker, known as the Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM), will be integrated into the capability at a later date.