Northrop Grumman puts PrSM motor through its paces

Northrop Grumman announced on 5 January that it has successfully completed a static test of its rocket motor for the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) as part of its motor qualification effort.

‘The test supports the necessary requirements to validate the company’s motor design for production,’ the company noted in a statement.

The PrSM motor met performance requirements for extremely cold temperatures, and it will undergo various additional qualification tests before initial fielding in 2023.

Rebecca Torzone, VP for missile products at Northrop Grumman, said the successful rocket motor test means that the US Army is ‘one step closer’ to achieving its objectives for long-range fires.

The company added that its digital engineering technologies will enable ‘quick turnaround of a production-ready PrSM system to support the US Army’s request for an early operational capability’.

The US Army has earmarked PrSM to replace the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

US Army Contracting Command in December 2021 awarded prime contractor Lockheed Martin a $23.9 million PrSM engineering and manufacturing development contract, as the last stage before the missile begins full-rate production.

The FY2022 US Army budget request called for $166 million to be set aside for 110 PrSMs to be used in initial operational test and evaluation.