Tomahawk missile maker Raytheon Co. on Monday released a short video and revealed new details of its longer-range DeepStrike missile.
The new missile is Raytheon’s offering for the U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, requirement. The new PrSM weapon system will be a surface-to-surface, all-weather, precision-strike guided missile fired from the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
The baseline missile, which will be developed and fielded to engage a wide variety of targets at ranges up to 310 miles, will emphasize imprecisely located area and point targets. The primary emphasis for follow-on spirals will be on increased range, lethality and engagement of time-sensitive, moving, hardened and fleeting targets.
The DeepStrike missile has several advantages over the current weapon; it flies farther, packs more punch and has a superior guidance system. Raytheon engineers designed the missile so that two can fit in a single weapons pod – a feature that reduces its cost and would effectively double the Army launchers’ combat power.
The company’s website said the new missile’s range and speed will enable Army combat units to engage targets over vast geographic areas in high-threat environments.
Also reported that Raytheon is wrapping up a series of test and integration activities and plans to flight test the new missile later this year. Earlier in the year, the DeepStrike missile passed its preliminary design review, in which the Army evaluated a number of aspects of the design, from its guidance system to its lethality and propulsion system.
Shortly thereafter, Raytheon completed a successful static test of the DeepStrike missile’s rocket motor, advancing it to the next stage in development. In the latest test, the company detonated a warhead for the missile in a controlled environment, exceeding Army performance requirements.
