U.S. Army tests new PrSM Increment 2 ballistic missile from HIMARS to target moving ships at 350 km.

Lockheed Martin conducted the first flight test of the Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 from an M142 HIMARS launcher, testing systems designed to track moving land and maritime targets.

Lockheed Martin conducted the first flight test of the Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 from an M142 HIMARS launcher on March 12, 2026. The ballistic missile, developed for the U.S. Army, flew about 350 km and tested systems designed to track moving land and maritime targets. The PrSM Increment 2 introduces a multi-mode seeker enabling engagement of moving targets rather than fixed coordinates.
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The Increment 2 allows the PrSM missile to engage moving land vehicles as well as maritime targets such as warships, transforming the weapon into a land-based anti-ship ballistic missile. (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

On March 12, 2026, Lockheed Martin announced that the first flight test of the Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 (PrSM Inc. 2) was conducted from an M142 HIMARS launcher. During the trial, the missile flew about 350 km and deployed protective covers while onboard systems recorded performance parameters for further validation. The PrSM Inc. 2 integrates a guidance system with a multi-mode seeker to track and lock onto moving threats, enabling engagement of relocating targets rather than fixed coordinates. This variant also introduces a maritime strike capability to a missile previously designed for land attack missions. The system remains compatible with existing HIMARS and M270A2 launchers, preserving the current launcher architecture and logistics structure. The PrSM Inc. 2 is currently progressing through the technology maturation stage, and a preliminary design review is underway, while additional flight tests are scheduled later in the year.

The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army to replace the MGM-140 ATACMS inventory used since the 1990s. Development began in 2016 under the Long Range Precision Fires modernization program, with the objective of extending the reach and flexibility of ground-based artillery strike systems. The PrSM missile measures about 4 meters in length and 430 millimeters in diameter and uses a solid-fuel rocket motor for propulsion. Its reduced diameter compared with the 610 millimeter ATACMS allows two missiles to be loaded into a single launcher pod instead of one. Therefore, the PrSM doubles the missile load carried by each M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS launcher, while maintaining compatibility with the existing pod-based launch architecture. The missile uses an inertial navigation system supported by GPS signals to guide it toward the target area, and the baseline configuration, named Increment 1, carries a blast-fragmentation warhead weighing about 91 kilograms, designed for point targets and hardened military infrastructure.

The Precision Strike Missile Increment 1 (PrSM Inc. 1) constitutes the first operational variant of the PrSM and entered service after deliveries began in December 2023. The PrSM Inc. 1 has a maximum range of at least 500 km, exceeding the effective range of the ATACMS, which typically ranged between 165 km and 300 km depending on the variant. Guidance combines inertial navigation with GPS updates to maintain accuracy during flight, with the system designed to resist electronic interference affecting satellite signals. The missile carries a 200-pound blast-fragmentation warhead intended to destroy infrastructure such as radar sites, missile batteries, command posts, airfields, and logistics facilities. The Increment 1 is designed to strike stationary targets rather than moving ones, relying on coordinate targeting rather than terminal seeker guidance. Each HIMARS launcher can fire two missiles per pod, allowing a launcher equipped with two pods to deliver four ballistic missiles in a salvo, therefore increasing both strike distance and missile volume available to the American artillery formations.

The Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 (PrSM Inc. 2) introduces a major change by incorporating a multi-mode seeker engineered to allow the engagement of moving targets on land or at sea. The seeker combines a passive radio-frequency sensor capable of detecting radar emissions with an imaging infrared sensor used for terminal target identification. During flight, the missile navigates toward the general target area using inertial navigation and GPS before switching to seeker-based guidance in the terminal phase. This allows the PrSM Increment 2 missile to identify and lock onto moving ships or mobile land targets rather than relying solely on preprogrammed coordinates. The variant is therefore also known as the PrSM Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile and is intended to provide the Army with a ground-launched anti-ship strike capability. The missile is expected to achieve ranges approaching or exceeding 1,000 km, nearly doubling the range of the PrSM Increment 1. Furthermore, the integration with external targeting sources, such as aircraft, drones, satellites, or naval sensors, enables engagement of targets beyond the line of sight of the launcher.

The Precision Strike Missile Increment 3 (PrSM Inc. 3) will focus on expanding payload options and lethality mechanisms rather than extending range. The Increment 3 will retain the propulsion, guidance architecture, and aerodynamic configuration developed in earlier PrSM increments while introducing alternative warhead types. Planned payloads include submunition dispensers designed to release multiple bomblets against armored formations or dispersed military units; penetrating warheads intended to destroy hardened structures; and payloads capable of deploying small loitering munitions or drones during flight, enabling the missile to attack multiple targets across a wider area. This modular payload architecture would allow the PrSM Increment 3 to be effective against a broader spectrum of target categories, depending on mission requirements.

The Precision Strike Missile Increment 4 (PrSM Inc. 4), for its part, will extend the operational range of the PrSM missile beyond the 1,000 km threshold, transforming it from a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM, with a range from 300 to 1,000 km) to a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) usable at the theater level. Achieving this range will require improvements in propulsion efficiency, aerodynamic performance, and structural mass distribution to maximize energy during the boost and glide phases of flight. One propulsion concept being studied involves combining a rocket booster with an air-breathing propulsion engine, such as a ramjet, to maintain speed over longer distances. The extended range would enable artillery units equipped with HIMARS or MLRS launchers to strike strategic targets located far beyond the traditional battlefield. Potential targets include command centers, missile launch complexes, air bases, logistics infrastructure, and naval facilities located deep inside adversary territory. The variant is being developed through a competitive process involving Lockheed Martin and a Raytheon-Northrop Grumman team. If implemented, the PrSM Increment 4 would significantly expand the geographic reach of the U.S. land-based missile forces.

Finally, the Precision Strike Missile Increment 5 (PrSM Inc. 5), currently in the concept development stage, explores the PrSM's integration with autonomous ground launch systems. The Increment 5 involves designing a missile longer than the standard 4-meter launcher pod limitation to increase both range and payload capacity. Such a missile could be deployed from unmanned launch vehicles without a driver cab, allowing a longer missile body than current launcher systems permit. The idea is linked to the development of an unmanned M142 HIMARS, the Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher, capable of operating remotely or with minimal crew presence. This approach would allow dispersed American missile units to operate without exposing personnel directly at the launch site. Autonomous launchers could also be positioned in concealed locations and activated remotely when required. Increment 5, therefore, reflects a potential future architecture of the U.S. Army combining long-range missiles with robotic launch systems.

The Precision Strike Missile has already seen operational use during the 2026 conflict involving Iran, marking its first confirmed combat deployment. Images released by U.S. Central Command showed an M142 HIMARS launching a missile from a two-cell pod containing two PrSM rounds rather than the single missile pod used for ATACMS. The weapon’s extended range allowed artillery units positioned hundreds of kilometers from the target area to strike strategic targets without relying on aircraft or naval cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles of this class travel at speeds exceeding Mach 3 during flight, allowing rapid engagement of time-sensitive targets. Ground-based missile batteries can remain deployed for extended periods and launch strikes on short notice when targets are identified. This capability allows artillery forces to support deep strike operations while reducing exposure of aircraft to enemy air defenses, effectively demonstrating the operational role of the PrSM as a long-range strike weapon integrated into joint operations.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.