400km Land Attack: First Breakthrough Army Precision Strike Missile Arrives
·
By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Destroying enemy mechanized formations, weapons, launchers and command and control centers can now be accomplished with greater range and precision due to the arrival of the Army’s first Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a first-of-its kind high-speed long-range ground-fired missile able to pinpoint a wide range of targets from standoff ranges.
Following years of development, testing and engineering, the PrSM brings an as of yet unprecedented surface-to-surface attack capability
A published essay from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics & Technology describes the weapon in terms of “deep-strike” capability.
“The mission of the Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) Missile is to attack, neutralize, suppress and destroy targets using missile-delivered indirect precision fires. LRPF provides field artillery units with long-range and deep-strike capability,” the ASALT essay stated.
The ranges of the PrSM are arguably paradigm-changing. Standard Army artillery can travel roughly 30km, the Army’s fast-arriving Extended Range Cannon Artillery can travel more than 62km, and the Army’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) are precision-guided land-fired rockets able to travel at least 80km. The PrSM, however, is slated to travel at least 400km or longer to targets, bringing new stand-off ranges and tactical options for ground commanders.
“The Precision Strike Missile will provide Joint Force commanders with a 24/7, all-weather capability that will counter the enemy’s ability to conduct combat maneuver and air defense operations,” Assistant Secretary of the Army – Acquisition, Logistics & Technology Mr. Douglas Bush said in an Army essay.
