The US Army has awarded five Other Transaction Authority agreements to begin prototype development of Precision Strike Missile Increment 4, a next-generation rocket artillery munition intended to reach targets at ranges of at least 1,000 kilometers. Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Mach Industries, and RTX will each develop competing prototypes capable of being launched from the M142 HIMARS platform. The weapon is expected to attack moving maritime targets and relocatable land targets at ranges of 1,000 km or more, roughly twice the reach of the current PrSM. Prototype development will lead to a competitive fly-off and down-select during fiscal 2027, followed by another competition in fiscal 2028 among the selected systems. The programme follows a $1.21 billion Lockheed Martin contract awarded in September for PrSM Increment 2 Early Operational Capability. Increment 2 expands the baseline Increment 1 by adding the ability to engage maritime and relocatable land targets at ranges of up to 500 km. It also introduces a multimode seeker capable of detecting and tracking moving targets. Increment 4 will build on that seeker technology while extending range. L3Harris Technologies is providing ramjet propulsion for the Lockheed Martin-linked Increment 4 effort. The propulsion concept uses a rocket booster initially before transitioning to a ramjet that draws oxygen from the atmosphere, eliminating the requirement to carry an onboard oxidizer during cruise. The missile is expected to operate in GPS-denied environments and use high control authority and terminal velocity to make interception more difficult. The Army is accelerating the programme for Indo-Pacific operations, where the system could provide long-range land and maritime strike capability.
