Precision Strike Missile fired from M270A2 MLRS launcher for first time

Lockheed Martin and the US Army have successfully launched the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) from an M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launcher for the first time in a short-range production qualification test, Lockheed Martin announced on 14 April 2025.

The flight test, conducted at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, validated the PrSM’s performance and integration with the M270A2 launcher. The Increment 1 missile “fired at multiple targets, including a radar and rotary-wing platform, engaging them with precise and lethal impact”, Lockheed Martin stated, adding that the short-range flight also demonstrated the missile’s ability to manoeuvre at hypersonic speeds and maintain accuracy, even under the most stressful conditions.

“This test shows that PrSM works seamlessly with the army’s tracked M270A2 launcher, which fires the same munitions as HIMARS,” said Carolyn Orzechowski, vice president of Precision Fires Launchers and Missiles at Lockheed Martin, referencing the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

“While PrSM’s primary mission is long-range fires, Lockheed Martin validates accuracy and reliability of the missile even at the shortest distances before we provide it to warfighters,” Orzechowski added.

The successful M270A2 test is the latest in a series of milestones for the PrSM programme, which continues to advance through system qualifications.

On 8 December 2023 the US Army announced it had received its first batch of PrSMs in the form of initial production, Increment 1 Early Operational Capability missiles. While these were treaty-limited to a range of 500 km (under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treary, from which the US withdrew in 2019) and could only attack stationary targets, Increment 2 PrSMs have a multi-mode seeker, can address moving targets (most obviously ships) and can reach 1,000 km, while Increment 3 missiles will have expanded warhead types and Increment 4 missiles will have their range extended even further.

On 31 March 2025 Lockheed Martin announced that the US Army had awarded it an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract worth up to USD 4.94 billion (EUR 4.35 billion) to produce additional PrSMs.