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Sydney Morning Herald
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The game-changing new missile that could halt China
Each launch pod will be able to hold two of the precision missiles, compared to just a single ATACM, according to Alex Miller, the US Army's chief technology officer. It is also said to be less susceptible to jamming. The PrSMs combine those next-generation improvements with the advantages of the HIMARS and MLRS systems, which are quick, agile and relatively easy to disguise – and could wreak havoc on Chinese ships attempting an invasion. Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said: 'It really creates a challenge for our adversaries because where that system is now, it may not be there in 30 seconds or five minutes … That's a real detection and targeting dilemma.' Both the US and China are ramping up their military capabilities in the Pacific and particularly around Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its territory even though it has effectively been independent since the 1940s. Taiwan under threat Earlier this year, Xi Jinping, the Chinese president , said 'reunification' with China was inevitable, and that those on either side of the Taiwan Strait were 'one family'. China has regularly threatened Taiwan with fighter jet and warship incursions, but has always stopped short of a direct confrontation. At a security conference in May, Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan 'could be imminent'. The stakes couldn't be higher for both sides. If the US's military capabilities are outstripped by China, it would prove fatal to Taiwan, which relies on Washington to provide a credible deterrent. And if the island nation falls, it means the loss of a key strategic buffer against Beijing's expansionism. 'The most important advantage of a weapons advance like this is it simply encourages the Chinese to say, 'No … we don't have to do it now.' ' Doug Bandow, Cato Institute But failing to take the island would inflict a stunning blow on China, and almost certainly lead to the fall of Xi's regime. 'There's always a constant battle with both sides to try to respond to whatever advances the other side has,' said Doug Bandow, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. 'But I'd say these [PrSMs] have the potential for dramatically increasing the risk factor for a Chinese fleet. So that's substantial.' China's military will be only too aware of the damage Ukraine has managed to inflict on Russia using HIMARS since they were first provided by the US in June 2022, and will be warily eyeing the upgraded precision missiles. Taiwan already has 11 HIMARS from previous arms sales with the US, and it is expected to receive more in 2026. Bandow said the PrSMs will have inflicted an important psychological blow on China without any shots even being fired, and could convince its leadership to delay its imperial ambitions. 'The most important advantage of a weapons advance like this is it simply encourages the Chinese to say, 'No … we don't have to do it now',' he told the London Telegraph. 'In my view, the best chance of getting through this is to simply have that happen a lot. And hopefully, we can get to a point, whatever that point is, where everyone agrees war is really stupid and this won't happen.' Loading Real damage could be inflicted on the Chinese fleet, both in ports and moving out to a potential invasion, if PRsMs are deployed throughout Taiwan and the rest of the first island chain, which includes Japan, Indonesia and parts of the Philippines. Australia aligns with the US Elsewhere in the Pacific, Australia signed a $US310 million ($475.6 million) deal with the US to join the missile programme in June. 'This is all about extending deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, all about signalling to any potential adversary that pain can be inflicted,' Pat Conroy, Australia's defence industry minister, said at the test flight this month. Loading But China is also moving quickly to innovate, and earlier this year, it appeared to be constructing D-Day-style barges for an invasion that would allow it to bypass rocky or soft beaches unsuitable for tanks, providing multiple fronts for an invasion. Some experts are concerned that the US is too slow to procure PrSMs. The Pentagon's recent funding request to Congress shows the Army intends to buy 44 of the missiles from Lockheed Martin. 'There's very rarely a decisive game changer by itself … but this is a key capability for the United States and our allies to have,' Bowman said.
The Age
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The Age
The game-changing new missile that could halt China
Each launch pod will be able to hold two of the precision missiles, compared to just a single ATACM, according to Alex Miller, the US Army's chief technology officer. It is also said to be less susceptible to jamming. The PrSMs combine those next-generation improvements with the advantages of the HIMARS and MLRS systems, which are quick, agile and relatively easy to disguise – and could wreak havoc on Chinese ships attempting an invasion. Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said: 'It really creates a challenge for our adversaries because where that system is now, it may not be there in 30 seconds or five minutes … That's a real detection and targeting dilemma.' Both the US and China are ramping up their military capabilities in the Pacific and particularly around Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its territory even though it has effectively been independent since the 1940s. Taiwan under threat Earlier this year, Xi Jinping, the Chinese president , said 'reunification' with China was inevitable, and that those on either side of the Taiwan Strait were 'one family'. China has regularly threatened Taiwan with fighter jet and warship incursions, but has always stopped short of a direct confrontation. At a security conference in May, Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan 'could be imminent'. The stakes couldn't be higher for both sides. If the US's military capabilities are outstripped by China, it would prove fatal to Taiwan, which relies on Washington to provide a credible deterrent. And if the island nation falls, it means the loss of a key strategic buffer against Beijing's expansionism. 'The most important advantage of a weapons advance like this is it simply encourages the Chinese to say, 'No … we don't have to do it now.' ' Doug Bandow, Cato Institute But failing to take the island would inflict a stunning blow on China, and almost certainly lead to the fall of Xi's regime. 'There's always a constant battle with both sides to try to respond to whatever advances the other side has,' said Doug Bandow, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. 'But I'd say these [PrSMs] have the potential for dramatically increasing the risk factor for a Chinese fleet. So that's substantial.' China's military will be only too aware of the damage Ukraine has managed to inflict on Russia using HIMARS since they were first provided by the US in June 2022, and will be warily eyeing the upgraded precision missiles. Taiwan already has 11 HIMARS from previous arms sales with the US, and it is expected to receive more in 2026. Bandow said the PrSMs will have inflicted an important psychological blow on China without any shots even being fired, and could convince its leadership to delay its imperial ambitions. 'The most important advantage of a weapons advance like this is it simply encourages the Chinese to say, 'No … we don't have to do it now',' he told the London Telegraph. 'In my view, the best chance of getting through this is to simply have that happen a lot. And hopefully, we can get to a point, whatever that point is, where everyone agrees war is really stupid and this won't happen.' Loading Real damage could be inflicted on the Chinese fleet, both in ports and moving out to a potential invasion, if PRsMs are deployed throughout Taiwan and the rest of the first island chain, which includes Japan, Indonesia and parts of the Philippines. Australia aligns with the US Elsewhere in the Pacific, Australia signed a $US310 million ($475.6 million) deal with the US to join the missile programme in June. 'This is all about extending deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, all about signalling to any potential adversary that pain can be inflicted,' Pat Conroy, Australia's defence industry minister, said at the test flight this month. Loading But China is also moving quickly to innovate, and earlier this year, it appeared to be constructing D-Day-style barges for an invasion that would allow it to bypass rocky or soft beaches unsuitable for tanks, providing multiple fronts for an invasion. Some experts are concerned that the US is too slow to procure PrSMs. The Pentagon's recent funding request to Congress shows the Army intends to buy 44 of the missiles from Lockheed Martin. 'There's very rarely a decisive game changer by itself … but this is a key capability for the United States and our allies to have,' Bowman said.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lockheed Martin snags $5 billion US Army missile contract
Lockheed Martin announced Monday that the U.S. Army had awarded it a contract worth nearly $5 billion to produce its next-generation long-range precision strike missile. The contract is worth up to $4.94 billion and will see Lockheed Martin provide Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) to the Army, which views the weaponry as the successor to the Army Tactical missile (ATACM). The missiles are compatible with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), platforms used by the Army and Marine Corps along with a number of U.S. allies that have acquired those systems or intend to. "Lockheed Martin is committed to delivering this deterrent capability in support of the Army's vision for a lethal and resilient force," said Carolyn Orzechowski, VP of Ppecision fires launchers and missiles at Lockheed Martin. "Our team remains focused on advancing the production at speed and scale, ensuring the warfighter receives this critical capability to maintain peace through strength." Boeing's Double Dose Of Good News: Fighter Jets And Cash According to Lockheed, the PrSM has a range beyond 499 kilometers, or 310 miles, and it was designed with an open architecture that allows the capability to be improved incrementally to achieve longer ranges. Read On The Fox Business App The company has worked on several variants of the PrSM, including versions designed as land-based anti-ship missiles, longer-range variants and to carry different explosive munitions. The Army's PrSM contract is structured as an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, which is designed to provide flexibility when the exact quantity or delivery schedule is unknown. Trump's Plan To Revive Us Shipbuilding Sends 'Critical Signal' To China Amid Flaring Trade Tensions: Experts Though this PrSM contract is for the Army, the U.S. Marine Corps as well as the Australian Army have indicated they intend to acquire the PrSM. Lockheed Martin securing the precision strike missile contract comes after it missed out on the Air Force's next generation air dominance (NGAD) fighter jet contract, which is valued at more than $20 billion and was awarded to Boeing to replace Lockheed's F-22 article source: Lockheed Martin snags $5 billion US Army missile contract
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lockheed Martin clinches $4.94 billion US Army missile contract
(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin on Monday said the U.S. Army had awarded it a contract worth up to $4.94 billion to produce Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). Defense companies are seeing a surge in weaponry demand, driven by conflicts across the globe. The Pentagon has been prioritizing purchases of the PrSM, which is to replace the Army Tactical Missile (ATACM). PrSM is Lockheed's next-generation long-range precision strike missile, capable of neutralizing targets beyond 400 kilometers. Shares of the defense giant rose more than 1% in afternoon trade. The news of the company securing the army's indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract comes after U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month awarded the U.S. Air Force's fighter jet contract worth more than $20 billion to Boeing replacing Lockheed's F-22 Raptor. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
31-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Lockheed Martin clinches $4.94 billion US Army missile contract
Weapons are pictured at a Lockheed Martin weapons factory, in Troy, Alabama, U.S. May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab March 31 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab on Monday said the U.S. Army had awarded it a contract worth up to $4.94 billion to produce Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). Defense companies are seeing a surge in weaponry demand, driven by conflicts across the globe. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. The Pentagon has been prioritizing purchases of the PrSM, which is to replace the Army Tactical Missile (ATACM). PrSM is Lockheed's next-generation long-range precision strike missile, capable of neutralizing targets beyond 400 kilometers. Shares of the defense giant rose more than 1% in afternoon trade. The news of the company securing the army's indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract comes after U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month awarded the U.S. Air Force's fighter jet contract worth more than $20 billion to Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab replacing Lockheed's F-22 Raptor. Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
