Missile Precision Strike Missile

The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a family of ground-launched ballistic missiles developed under the US Army's Long Range Precision Fires requirement to replace the MGM-140 ATACMS. Competing bids were announced in March 2016, and a single contractor remained after early 2020. The US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty removed the range ceiling that had constrained the original design. Australia joined the program in July 2021 as a partner for Increment Two and later committed to Increments Three and Four. A June 2025 memorandum of understanding provides for production of the missile in Australia. The first production batch was delivered to the US Army in December 2023.

The PrSM is solid-propelled and is fired from the M270 MLRS, M142 HIMARS and GMARS. Its slimmer body allows two missiles per pod, doubling launcher load compared with ATACMS. Launch from surface ships through the Mark 41 vertical launching system is under study. Increment One uses inertial and GPS guidance and carries a high-explosive fragmentation blast warhead. It has no seeker and engages only stationary land targets.

Increment Two adds a multi-mode seeker that combines radio-frequency (anti-radiation) and imaging infrared sensors. This allows the missile to engage moving maritime targets and relocatable land targets in anti-access/area-denial environments. In this form it functions as a land-based anti-ship ballistic missile. On 17 June 2024, the decommissioned amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD-7) was sunk in the Mariana Islands Range Complex in what appears to have been the first PrSM test against a moving target. The first live Increment Two test took place in 2026, and initial operational capability is scheduled for FY2028.

Increment Three is to broaden payload options with a new warhead intended for use against fortifications. Submunition payloads are also under consideration, including Coyote drones and Hatchet miniature glide bombs. Increment Four is intended to extend range through new propulsion and aerodynamics, and ramjet propulsion has been considered. Competing industry teams are pursuing Increment Four. A candidate propulsion system was tested in June 2026, with flight testing planned for late 2026. Science and technology work on a fifth increment begins in FY2026. It is intended for launch from autonomous vehicles without crew cabs, which could accommodate a missile longer than a standard MLRS pod.

Increment One entered US Army service in 2023 and is gradually replacing ATACMS. The Australian Army first test-fired the missile during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July 2025. Australia will use the missile for long-range land strike and maritime defence. In April 2026, it selected Increment Two for its coastal defence requirement over the StrikeMaster system armed with the Naval Strike Missile.

In its Defence Investment Plan of 30 June 2026, the United Kingdom announced it would join the program, with a £190 million order for its M270A2 fleet. A Swedish HIMARS contract signed in September 2026 includes PrSM munitions. The Baltic states declared joint interest in January 2025. The US denied Norway's request to buy the missile in August 2024 under export restrictions in force at the time. Norway later selected the South Korean K239 Chunmoo.

The PrSM was first used in combat during the 2026 Iran war. In March 2026, US Central Command released images of HIMARS launchers firing the missile at Iranian military targets during Operation Epic Fury. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that much of the US inventory was expended, as stocks were low at the start of the war. On 28 February 2026, a strike hit a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school in Lamerd. IRNA reported 21 killed, and the New York Times and BBC identified the weapon as the PrSM. In April 2026, Central Command requested deployment of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile after Iran moved its launchers beyond PrSM range.