U.S. Army Advances 1000 km PrSM Missile to Give HIMARS Long-Range Strike Against Moving Targets.

The U.S. Army selected five companies to develop PrSM Increment 4 prototypes capable of striking moving maritime and relocatable land targets at ranges of 1,000 kilometers or more. The competition is intended to extend HIMARS-based precision fires while giving Army units a longer-range option against mobile targets that cannot be engaged using fixed coordinates alone.

Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Mach Industries and RTX will each develop a missile compatible with the M142 HIMARS launcher under separate prototype agreements. The first designs are expected to enter a competitive fly-off in fiscal year 2027, followed by a down-select and a final round of testing in fiscal year 2028 for companies whose systems demonstrate sufficient maturity.

Related news: US Army awards $1.21 billion contract for PrSM Increment 2 maritime strike missile production

An M142 HIMARS launches a Precision Strike Missile during testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on December 10, 2019 (Picture source: Image edited by Army Recognition from an original U.S. Army photo)

The contracts broaden a program previously associated mainly with Lockheed Martin and an RTX-led team while bringing additional defense companies into a competition directly linked to the U.S. Army’s modernization of long-range precision fires. The first development phase is scheduled to continue through fiscal year 2027 and conclude with a competitive flight test and initial down-select. Companies whose designs reach the required level of maturity could then receive follow-on agreements and participate in a final flight competition during fiscal year 2028.

According to an announcement published by the U.S. Army from Redstone Arsenal on September 29, 2026, the five companies received separate Other Transaction Authority agreements to develop Increment 4 prototypes. The value of the agreements was not disclosed. The program requires a range of at least 1,000 kilometers, initial compatibility with HIMARS, and the ability to engage both moving surface vessels and land targets capable of rapidly changing position.

Increment 4 is being developed around a combination of range, targeting requirements, and constraints imposed by existing launchers. U.S. Army budget documents indicate that the missile is expected to combine improved propulsion technology and a new warhead with the multimode seeker developed for PrSM Increment 2. This configuration is intended to preserve the mobility of current firing units while considerably extending their engagement area and allowing the missile to attack targets that do not remain at fixed coordinates.

This configuration forms part of the gradual modernization of the PrSM family. Initial operational deliveries of Increment 1 began in 2023 to progressively replace the Army Tactical Missile System in the U.S. long-range fires inventory. The baseline missile is designed to engage targets at ranges exceeding 400 kilometers, while a HIMARS launcher can carry two PrSM missiles in one launch pod compared with a single ATACMS. Increment 2 adds the seeker required to engage moving ships and mobile land targets. Lockheed Martin has also received a production contract valued at up to $1.2 billion for this version.

The propulsion challenge becomes more complex as the U.S. Army seeks to almost double the weapon’s range without abandoning its current mobile launchers. Lockheed Martin and L3Harris demonstrated one potential approach in June 2026 during a ground test involving the transition from a booster to a ramjet for their Increment 4 concept. Lockheed Martin plans to use an air-breathing propulsion system capable of exceeding 1,000 kilometers while retaining dimensions compatible with existing launch infrastructure. The other competitors have released considerably less information about their proposed designs, leaving propulsion, warhead configuration and guidance architecture among the main elements to be assessed during future flight tests.

For U.S. Army artillery units, the operational effect would extend beyond a simple increase in range. A missile able to reach 1,000 kilometers from a mobile HIMARS battery could allow ground forces to threaten ports, missile launchers, air defense systems, command centers and surface vessels from positions much farther from the front line. The ability to engage moving targets is a central requirement because fixed coordinates are insufficient against a ship or mobile missile system that can relocate during the weapon’s flight time. Employment of Increment 4 will therefore also depend on offboard sensors, targeting-quality tracks, resilient communications and fire-control networks capable of supporting engagements across very long distances.

The competition also changes the U.S. Army’s industrial approach. Lockheed Martin remains the main producer of the current PrSM, but Anduril, Castelion and Mach Industries are joining RTX at a stage when the service is still comparing several propulsion, guidance and production solutions. By using multiple prototype agreements and successive flight competitions, the Army will be able to assess different concepts before selecting an architecture for the next stage of the program. Flight performance will therefore be considered alongside production capacity and compatibility with launchers already in service.

The strategic implications are particularly relevant in the Indo-Pacific, where the distances between dispersed land positions and maritime operating areas increase the value of very-long-range ground-launched weapons. U.S. Army Pacific is developing distributed multidomain fires concepts in which land units can contribute to strikes against maritime targets and opposing missile systems. If Increment 4 meets its intended range and moving-target requirements, U.S. or allied formations could cover a much wider area from dispersed land positions. The introduction of ground-launched precision missiles with ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometers also increases the importance of dispersion, missile defense, counterfire, and resilient sensor networks for forces operating across the Pacific.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.

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