Army photo

Lockheed’s prototype Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) fires from an Army HIMARS launcher truck in a file photo. (Lockheed Martin)

Updated 10/15/21 at 11:38 AM et to add Army comment.

Updated 10/14/21 at 7:20 PM et to add context and reflect additional comments from Lockheed Martin about the test. 

WASHINGTON: The US Army’s new Precision Strike Missile exceeded its maximum “threshold” in a flight test this week, according to an announcement from prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

However, the company’s statements about the launch means it remains unclear if the test met the full goal a company executive laid out for the missile earlier in the week.

Prior to the launch, the company said the aim for the test was to strike a target at 499km, or about 310 miles, away — the maximum range of the missile, per Lockheed’s website. In today’s statement, Lockheed announced that the test was successful, but when asked how far the missile went, a spokesperson only said that it had beaten the “Army’s maximum threshold” which “for a successful test, is 400km.” On Friday an Army spokesperson echoed Lockheed’s statement and declined to “disclose range specifics” beyond that.

It would be notable if the missile — launched Wednesday towards the Pacific Ocean from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California — exceeded the 499km range, as it represents breaking a barrier from the now-expired Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Paula Hartley, vice president of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, described the “maximum range” of PrSM as being 499km, and clearly stated that was the goal of the test. But in a statement released by the company on Thursday, no mention of the 499km number was present.

“The Precision Strike Missile continues to validate range and performance requirements,” Hartley said in the original announcement. “Achieving this long-range milestone for the baseline missile demonstrates PrSM’s capability to meet our customer’s modernization priorities on a rapid timeline.”

The PrSM missile program is led by the Long Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional team and Program Executive Office Missiles and Space, and is an integral part of the Army’s long-range precision fires effort, its top modernization priority.

The missile will replace the Army’s older Army Tactical Missile System that had a max-range of 300km, or 186 miles. The new long-range missile is designed for surface-to-surface strikes, with the potential for strikes against maritime targets in the future. The Army has also shown interest in extending PrSM’s range to over 1,600km, or 1,000 miles.

RELATED: The US Army Is About To Launch Its New Missile At ‘Max’ Range

The flight test, which Politico reported did exceed the 499km line, comes after the Army awarded Lockheed Martin two contracts in September for engineering and manufacturing development, and early operational capability production. According to budget documents, the Army plans to buy 20 missiles during initial fielding in 2023. Over the course of the program, the service plans to buy 2,400 missiles.

Speaking earlier this week, Hartley told reporters at the 2021 Association of the United States Army conference that the another test is scheduled for November as part of the Army’s Project Convergence 21. That test flight will take place a White Sands Missile Range and will include a side-by-side launch of more than one missile.

The missile flew 400km in a September test, after which the Army advanced the program with the engineering and manufacturing development contract.

Fiscal year 2022 budget documents show that the Army wants to explore future enhancements to the missile, asking Congress for $5 million for “critical technologies” that could extend PrSM’s range. The service also has signaled that it wants to upgrade the seeker on the missile to strike moving targets with more accuracy.

“We are also working closely with our Army partners to develop and integrate future incremental capabilities,” Hartley said in a news release.