U.S. Army Plans Acquisition of 1,134 PrSM Missiles and More HIMARS in FY2027 to Expand Long-Range Strike.

The U.S. Army is preparing a major expansion of its long-range strike capability, seeking 1,134 Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) and a significant increase in M142 HIMARS rocket launcher procurement under its FY2027 budget request. The move, detailed in the Army’s latest budget plans, would strengthen its ability to destroy command centers, air-defense networks, and logistics hubs at greater distances while increasing operational reach across contested battlefields.

The PrSM will extend the U.S. Army’s capacity to conduct precision attacks against high-value targets beyond the range of current systems, while additional HIMARS launchers will provide more mobile and survivable firing platforms. Together, they reinforce the Army’s shift toward long-range precision fires as a core element of multi-domain operations, enhancing deterrence and enabling faster, deeper strikes against advanced adversaries.

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U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, launch M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rockets during Exercise Tiger Balm 2026 at Yakima Training Center, Washington, on May 13, 2026. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

According to budget FY2027 documents released by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army (Financial Management and Comptroller), the service is requesting $1.2 billion in discretionary funding and an additional $692 million in mandatory funding for the Precision Strike Missile program. The request supports the acquisition of 1,134 missiles and associated launch pod missile containers while reinforcing the Army’s long-range precision fires modernization strategy.

The scale of the procurement marks a major step in the U.S. Army’s effort to build larger missile inventories capable of sustaining operations during prolonged high-intensity conflict. The Precision Strike Missile is replacing the aging Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and is designed to deliver greater range, enhanced accuracy, and improved survivability against modern air-defense networks. Unlike ATACMS, which carries a single missile per launcher pod, PrSM allows two missiles to be loaded into the same space, effectively doubling the strike capacity of both HIMARS and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System batteries.

The FY2027 budget also reveals a dramatic increase in HIMARS procurement. Funding for new launcher acquisition rises from $62 million in FY2026 to $746 million in FY2027, signaling a substantial expansion of the Army’s long-range rocket artillery force. This increase demonstrates that the service is pursuing a balanced growth strategy that simultaneously expands missile stockpiles and launcher fleets, ensuring that additional munitions can be employed effectively across multiple theaters.

In this exclusive Defense Web TV report, Army Recognition covers a U.S. Army M142 HIMARS live-fire exercise conducted near Klaipeda, Lithuania, alongside the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

The decision reflects lessons learned from recent conflicts, particularly in Ukraine, where precision-guided rocket artillery has proven decisive in targeting command posts, logistics centers, ammunition depots, air-defense assets, and other critical nodes far behind the front line. The effectiveness of HIMARS in disrupting enemy operational depth has reinforced the importance of long-range precision fires as a core battlefield capability for modern land warfare.

The U.S. Army’s investment is also closely aligned with its broader Continuous Transformation Campaign Plan, which identifies long-range precision fires as a key capability required to maintain battlefield overmatch against peer competitors. Budget documents emphasize the need to increase lethality, range, survivability, and readiness while expanding industrial capacity to support sustained production of critical munitions.

PrSM occupies a central role within this strategy. The missile is intended to enable U.S. Army and Joint Force commanders to strike high-value targets at ranges beyond those achievable with legacy tactical missile systems. Future variants are expected to incorporate enhanced seekers and expanded target sets, including maritime targets, enabling land-based forces to contribute directly to anti-ship operations and wider joint campaigns.

The missile procurement request is part of a much larger investment in long-range fires. Alongside PrSM, the FY2027 budget includes funding for the Mid-Range Capability missile system, Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon development, and the acquisition of 4,824 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets. Together, these systems create a layered strike architecture capable of engaging targets across tactical, operational, and strategic depths.

The expansion carries particular significance for the Indo-Pacific region, where vast distances and dispersed operating environments place a premium on long-range precision strike capabilities. Army planners increasingly view mobile missile formations equipped with HIMARS and PrSM as critical contributors to joint deterrence efforts, capable of holding adversary command networks, air bases, logistics hubs, and naval forces at risk while operating from distributed locations.

Beyond the operational benefits, the procurement plan represents a major boost for the U.S. defense industrial base. The U.S. Army budget documents for FY2027 identify munitions production as a top modernization priority and allocate billions of dollars to expand manufacturing capacity and modernize facilities. The objective is not only to replenish inventories but also to ensure the United States can sustain large-scale missile production during future conflicts.

The FY2027 request ultimately highlights a significant evolution in U.S. Army force design. Rather than relying on limited inventories of high-value missiles, the service is building larger launcher fleets and deeper precision-strike magazines to generate sustained combat effects across contested battlefields. If approved by U.S. Congress, the procurement of 1,134 Precision Strike Missiles and the substantial expansion of HIMARS acquisition will represent one of the most significant increases in U.S. Army long-range fires capability in decades, reinforcing the service’s role as a key provider of deep-strike effects for the Joint Force.

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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.