The United States gathered to increase the range of Precision Strike missiles after leaving the INF Treaty
The allocation of funds for the Precision Strike rocket is scheduled for 2022. The US military has calculated that only the initial research of technology that would allow the missile's range to be increased would cost $ 5 million. This is the first funding that the Pentagon should receive for the project.
Recall that the PrSM rocket, developed by Lockheed Martin, has already passed 4 flight tests and broke the range record - it flew 400 km. Now the missile is included in the priority program and is intended to replace existing tactical missiles in the army.
The US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has become one of the main reasons for the desire to further increase the missile's range. After the INF Treaty, the range was limited to a distance of 499 kilometers, but now the United States can develop missiles with a range of 500 to 5000 kilometers.
In August of this year at Vandenberg airbase in California, the next PrSM tests are to pass. They will allow the military to assess the missile's range and think over the issue of its further modernization. Also, the army is going to add new capabilities to the rocket, including an improved homing system, as well as increase the lethality of the rocket. The priority will be the ability of the missile to destroy ships at sea.
The Lockheed corporation, in turn, expects the Pentagon to decide on the transition to the development and production of missiles this summer, and then a contract will be signed for a new stage of research.
According to budget documents, the military will acquire 110 PrSM missiles for a total of $ 166,3 million in fiscal 2022 if a positive decision is made on the matter this year. The Pentagon is also asking for $ 188,5 million in research and development for the PrSM. That is, the scale of spending is much higher than the previously planned $ 145,6 million, but this is not surprising, given the need for new development costs.
As for the start of operation of the rocket, it was assumed that it will take place at the end of 2024. However, the financial documents of the American army show that there has been some time shift from late 2024 to the first half of 2025. Now the army plans to make a final decision on the full-scale production of the rocket by the end of 2024.
The appearance of a new missile in the American army will significantly expand its capabilities in the use of conventional weapons, which were previously constrained by the INF Treaty.
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