U.S. Army Tests PrSM Increment 2 Missile Against Maritime Target From HIMARS Rocket Launcher.

The U.S. Army is pushing deeper into maritime strike as its Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2 completed a second flight test against a maritime target in August 2026, according to Lockheed Martin. The test advances a HIMARS-launched weapon intended to let dispersed ground forces engage moving warships and mobile land targets at long range.

The capability would extend Army long-range fires into sea-denial missions by allowing mobile launchers to threaten naval targets from coastal positions. It also strengthens the role of land forces in joint operations where survivability, rapid displacement, and precision strike are critical in contested littoral regions.

Related Topic: New Version of PrSM Missile Could Push U.S. Army Rocket Launcher Strike Range Beyond 1,000 km

Lockheed Martin launches a U.S. Army PrSM Increment 2 missile from HIMARS during an August 2026 flight test focused on moving maritime-target engagement. (Photo credit: U.S. Army)

Lockheed Martin revealed the August flight on September 21, 2026, six months after the first PrSM (Precision Strike Missile) Increment 2 test in March. During the second event, the missile launched from a HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), deployed protective covers for its seeker, collected flight data, and engaged the target; additional flight tests are planned for 2027. PrSM Increment 2 uses a multimode seeker intended to guide the missile against targets that can move after launch, addressing a central limitation of long-range weapons optimized primarily for fixed coordinates.

Lockheed Martin demonstrated the basic concept during the first Increment 2 flight announced on March 12, when the missile flew approximately 350 kilometers after launching from HIMARS, deployed its protective seeker covers, and collected performance data while demonstrating the seeker intended for moving maritime targets. That 350-kilometer flight provided an early indication of how the missile could combine extended-range strike with terminal target acquisition against vessels operating far beyond the reach of conventional artillery.

The August flight therefore matters less as another demonstration of basic missile propulsion than as a second opportunity to mature the terminal guidance chain needed for moving-target engagements. Repeating the sequence of launch, cover deployment, seeker operation, and target engagement generates engineering data needed to reduce risk before the Army introduces the missile into operational inventories and begins relying on it against dynamic targets rather than fixed coordinates.

The seeker fundamentally changes how PrSM can contribute to Army operations. Instead of relying only on preplanned coordinates, Increment 2 is being developed to acquire and guide on moving targets during the final portion of flight, enabling U.S. Army rocket artillery units to threaten vessels maneuvering offshore as well as relocatable land systems. Against maritime targets, this capability is critical because a ship can travel several kilometers during the flight time of a long-range missile, making its original location increasingly less useful as the engagement develops.

The missile also expands the combat value of launchers already fielded across the U.S. Army and allied forces. HIMARS can carry two PrSM missiles, compared with one Army Tactical Missile System missile in the same launcher, increasing the number of long-range shots available from an individual firing unit, while the M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System is also intended to employ PrSM. This means the Army can add maritime strike capability to existing rocket-artillery formations without introducing a separate coastal-defense launcher fleet.

That compatibility is especially important for dispersed operations. Existing HIMARS units could move between concealed firing positions along coastlines or across island chains, launch PrSM Increment 2 against moving warships, and then displace before enemy forces can identify and attack the firing location. This gives the Army a potential land-based anti-ship capability built around launchers, crews, logistics, and fire-control infrastructure that are already in service.

The mission is especially relevant in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. Army is developing concepts for distributing long-range fires across islands and coastal positions. HIMARS units equipped with PrSM Increment 2 could contribute to maritime strike missions from land, adding another attack axis alongside aircraft, submarines, and surface combatants while forcing an opposing navy to account for missiles launched from mobile and concealed positions ashore.

PrSM Increment 2 is therefore more than an extended-range replacement for the Army Tactical Missile System. Increment 1 expands range and lethality against fixed targets, while Increment 2 adds the seeker required to prosecute moving maritime and relocatable land targets. This shifts PrSM toward dynamic targeting missions in which the target may maneuver after launch and the missile must correct for that movement during the engagement.

The missile’s effectiveness will consequently depend not only on its onboard guidance but also on the wider sensor-to-shooter network supplying accurate target tracks. Maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, satellites, surface ships and other sensors could contribute targeting information, allowing Army launchers positioned inland or on islands to engage vessels beyond their own direct line of sight. Lockheed Martin has said technologies developed through its Strigo family of solutions have informed elements of the guidance package, although the company has not publicly detailed the seeker’s complete sensor configuration or terminal engagement logic.

This creates a different operational role for Army rocket artillery. HIMARS units equipped with Increment 2 could function as dispersed land-based maritime strike elements, adding another firing axis to joint operations and forcing an opposing navy to account for missiles launched from locations that may be difficult to detect before launch. In archipelagic or coastal theaters, road-mobile firing units could exploit terrain, concealment and rapid displacement to increase survivability and complicate enemy targeting.

The August 2026 test also comes as the program moves toward production under a U.S. Army framework valued at up to $1.2 billion. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity agreement covers initial Increment 2 procurement, future orders, follow-on production and continued development, but the more significant new development is that the manufacturing transition now follows two maritime-target flight events rather than the single March demonstration previously disclosed.

Lockheed Martin says it will begin producing initial Increment 2 missiles while flight testing and system maturation continue, with further tests scheduled for 2027. The company is simultaneously expanding overall PrSM manufacturing capacity and says its investments are intended to quadruple production, an important step if the missile is expected to support operational deployments, sustained training and wartime expenditure requirements rather than remain available only in limited quantities.

The production expansion has direct operational implications because long-range precision weapons can be consumed rapidly during high-intensity conflict. A larger manufacturing base would give the Army greater ability to build inventories, replace missiles expended during combat, and support multiple theaters while continuing training and development activity.

The second maritime-target flight test indicates that the Army and Lockheed Martin are now repeatedly exercising the key sequence required to turn PrSM from a long-range land-attack missile into a weapon capable of prosecuting maneuvering targets. If later testing validates seeker performance against more demanding target movements and operating conditions, existing HIMARS and M270A2 units could gain a significant new ability to hold moving ships and mobile land targets at risk from dispersed positions well beyond traditional artillery ranges.

For the U.S. Army, the broader significance is expanding ground-based fires into maritime warfare without requiring a dedicated anti-ship launcher. The combination of HIMARS mobility, two-missile PrSM loadout, demonstrated long-range flight, and moving-target guidance could allow Army units to threaten warships from dispersed coastal positions while integrating into joint sensor networks, extending the service’s role from supporting land maneuver to directly contributing to sea denial and maritime strike operations.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.