Milestone en Route to EOC in 2023
In its fifth consecutive successful test flight, Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) completed its longest flight to date on 13 October, exceeding maximum threshold.
“The Precision Strike Missile continues to validate range and performance requirements,” stated Paula Hartley, VP of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Achieving this long-range milestone for the baseline missile demonstrates PrSM’s capability to meet our customer’s modernization priorities on a rapid timeline.”
The US Army awarded two contracts in September for Early Operational Capability (EOC) production and Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) advancing the programme to the next phase. Lockheed Martin and the Army are working together to optimise this next-generation system in everything from production to enhanced capabilities. Implementing digital tools such as augmented reality, advanced modelling and simulation, machine learning/data analytics, and software factory to streamline efforts has helped accelerate the development programme. “We are also working closely with our Army partners to develop and integrate future incremental capabilities,” Hartley added.
The flight is the second of three demonstrations taking place this year as part of the programme’s Enhanced Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (ETMRR) phase, with the next flight scheduled for the fall as part of the Army’s Project Convergence 21.