Along with the CAESAR, the TB2 and the Javelin, the HIMARS mobile artillery system was one of the great operational revelations of the first year of the war in Ukraine. Armed with 6 M30 or M31 rockets with a range of 15 to 90 km, this system mounted on a 6x6 truck is both very mobile thanks to its 290 hp for a mass of only 16 tons, and very effective against lines rear of the adversary, thanks to its great precision and the destructive power of the warhead of the rockets. The HIMARS can also implement the Ground Launch Small Diameter Bomb ammunition, consisting of a GBU-39 bomb integrated into a light fuselage and a propellant, allowing a range of 150 km to be reached, and the ATACMS light ballistic missile a range of 300 km, capable in particular of destroying heavily hardened targets such as bunkers. If Washington still refuses the delivery of ATACMS to the Ukrainian forces, that of GLSDB would have already begun, while the Russian armies had already had to reorganize their logistics lines to counter the threat of the M30 and M31 rockets.
As part of the Long Range Precision Fire program, or LRPF, the US Army launched in 2016 the design of a new ballistic missile, the Precision Strike Missile or PsSM. Thinner than the ATACMS, it allows the HIMARS to deploy 2 ballistic missiles simultaneously, against a single ATACMS, and can reach targets 500 km away. In addition to the GPS and inertial guidance of the ATACMS, the LRPF also has a terminal guidance system allowing it to strike moving targets, such as ships or vehicles, making it a highly versatile weapon. Beyond the PrSM Inc 1 currently in production to replace the ATACMS, the development of two other versions had already begun. The PrSM Inc 2 thus receives a multi-mode radar and infrared seeker by forming the anti-ship system requested by the US Army as part of its reinforcement in the Pacific theater. The PrSM Inc 3, meanwhile, must be equipped with a new warhead, so as to increase its effectiveness, particularly against hardened or deployed targets.
As part of the 2024 budget, the development of a 4th version of the PrSM has been unveiled. Designated PrSM Inc 4 but also Long Range Maneuverable Fires (LRMF), this new missile will achieve a range of 1000 km thanks to a redesigned fuselage and a new thruster, perhaps using a ramjet like the French ASMPA. According to the BreakingDefense.com site, it is possible that the LRMF will enter service simultaneously with the new military load of the PrSM Inc 3. However, for the time being, the subject still seems largely confidential, neither the general staff nor the industrialists. questioned by the American site having agreed to give information on this program, apart from the fact that it was indeed launched.
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