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Lockheed Martin Australia has confirmed it will conduct flight testing on new long-range specialised PrSM Increment 4 munitions in Australia next year.
Lockheed Martin Australia’s business development manager for missiles and fire control, Josh Woodward, confirmed the scheduled testing for the Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during a discussion with Defence Connect at the recent Indo Pacific 2025 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney last week.
The Australian Defence Force has already purchased and taken delivery of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) armed with precision-guided munitions as a flexible, scalable and responsive strike capability.
“PrSM Increment 4 is in development at the moment. There’s some flight test activity taking place in Australia next year,” Woodward said.
“(We are expecting) thousand plus kilometre range for that munition. So very substantial work path for that … PrSM Increment 4 starts to introduce some of those really significant range increases and there is some flight test activity that we’re on track for in Australia next year.
“PrSM Increment 3, broadly, is some of our modular payloads capabilities that’s still in the developmental phase.”
It’s understood that testing will take place at the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera Range Complex in South Australia.
In addition, HIMARS launcher vehicles fitted with PrSMs are contending for the current Project LAND 8113 Phase 2 for the Australian Defence Force’s next land-based maritime strike capability.
The other contender being StrikeMaster launcher vehicles fitted with Naval Strike Missiles, under a collaborative project between Kongsberg Defence Australia and Thales Australia.
“In LAND 8113 Phase 2, obviously it is currently under consideration by government, which we understand will still be on track for a final down select throughout the December time frame,” Woodward said.
“Lockheed Martin’s offering in that space is a second regiment of HIMARS, 48 additional launches with PrSM Increment 2. PrSM Increment 2 introduces that multi-mode seeker for moving target interdiction and maritime target interdiction.
“Broadly, unclassified range is 400 plus kilometres with a growth path for that munition into the thousand plus kilometre range.
“The beauty of PrSM in that land-based maritime strike capability is really that high terminal dive angle and the high speed (of the munition). The thought of looking to defeat a high diving threat coupled with a sea-skipping threat … is very, very challenging in terms of splitting radar resources, even on an advanced destroyer like a Hobart Class. It would be very, very challenging.
“We think that the PrSM Increment 2 capability certainly offers that key validity for land-based maritime strike at a range that far exceeds some of the competitor offerings as well, which is critical, when you think about the geographic world where we are in the Indo-Pacific.”
