US Military Updates & Discussions

Close-up footage of the American M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) in action has been released as part of the ongoing US-Philippine military exercises "Balikatan 26." The video was filmed on the island of Palawan by crews of the 5th Battalion, 3rd Artillery Regiment, US 7th Infantry Division. The deployment of the MLRS on Palawan could hinder the Chinese navy's maneuvers at sea near the disputed Spratly Islands. The M142 HIMARS has been manufactured in the US by Lockheed Martin since 2003. The MLRS has a firing range of up to 500 km when using ballistic missiles. In the video, the M142 HIMARS fires 227mm rockets.

 
Using pre-set coordinates for targeting alone would preclude attacking anything on the move. Whether some degree of automated targeting capability is already available for Blitz, or on the horizon, is unclear. DZYNE says that Blitz can also be employed in an operator-in-the-loop mode, which would require an active control link to the drone during flight. Advances continue to be made in automated target recognition and engagement capabilities, driven by parallel developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as you can read more about in this past TWZ feature. This, in turn, could reduce the importance of having a mode of operation involving direct, if any, operator control. For its part, the U.S. military says it sees humans continuing to be involved, at least to some degree, in the operation of drones for the foreseeable future.

Whether the operator remains in the loop or not after launch, mission planning and control of Blitz drones can be done via handheld tablet-like devices. A software “plugin” to support the drones has already been integrated into the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) suite in service across the U.S. military, as well as with foreign armed forces.
 
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During a recent Direct Connect Transition Test, the development missile demonstrated a flawless booster‑to‑ramjet handoff inside L3Harris’ specialized high-speed-air-breathing propulsion facility, validating the propulsion transition event.
 
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The US Army is accelerating development and fielding of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4. Per recently released materials, PrSM Inc 4 will be an M142 HIMARS compatible missile system (M270 compatibility is desired but not required) with a maximum range of ≥1,000 km and a minimum range of ≤300 km. PrSM Inc 4 All-Up Round must defeat both relocatable (non-moving) ground targets and moving maritime targets, with a specific focus on disrupting adversary Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) bubbles. The US Army plans two flight tests, one in FY27 and another in FY28, in which it will evaluate performer's ability to demonstrate a closed-loop, target-seeking solution at >1,000 km.