The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a US$62m (A$84.4m) engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract for the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) system.

The September 30 award comes after a series of successful test firings at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and just ahead of a planned major test to be conducted sometime this month at Vandenburg AFB in California.

The PrSM has been selected to replace the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in US Army service. Australia signed on to the program in August 2021 as a cooperative development partner as it seeks to introduce a long-range strike capability for the Australian Army’s LAND 8113 long-range fires requirement.

The US Army is seeking to field an initial PrSM capability in 2023, but has plans to insert spiral upgrades to the system including an enhanced seeker which will provide a maritime anti-ship capability, longer range beyond the baseline 499km, and increased lethality.