Army precision strike missile completes record-settling flight from Vandenberg

A U.S. Army weapon under development completed its longest flight on Wednesday in a hush-hush test from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc.

The test involved the Precision Strike Missile, developed by Lockheed Martin Corp., as the Army’s next-generation, long-range surface-to-surface weapon.

Wednesday’s flight off the northern section of Vandenberg saw the weapon exceed its maximum threshold, for what added up to the missile’s fifth consecutive successful flight test.

The weapon, much smaller than the usual missiles launched from Vandenberg, was fired from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) launcher, and the PrSM flew an extended range mission over the Pacific Ocean, according to Lockheed Martin.

Vandenberg had alerted mariners to remain out of the ocean area off the northern section of the 100,000-acre installation between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, but public affairs officials remained mum about the test.

Officials had said before the test that they intended for the weapon to travel about 310 miles, according to a Breaking Defense story.

The weapon’s range reportedly exceeds the limit established in the expired Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Force Treaty, or INF, several news outlets noted.

“The Precision Strike Missile continues to validate range and performance requirements,” said Paula Hartley, vice president of tactical missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Achieving this long-range milestone for the baseline missile demonstrates PrSM’s capability to meet our customers’ modernization priorities on a rapid timeline.”

The successful test followed two Army contract awards issued in September for the next phases of the program, including production.

Lockheed Martin is working alongside the Army to optimize this next-generation system from production to enhanced capabilities.

The flight was the second of three demonstrations taking place this year as one phase of the development program and leading toward Early Operational Capability in 2023.

The next flight is scheduled this fall as part of the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence 21, according to Lockheed Martin.

A previous PrSM test occurred in May with a demonstration flight at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The test missile was produced at Lockheed Martin’s new Long Range Precision Fires facility in Camden, Arkansas.