Australia launches first PrSM at ‘Talisman Sabre 25'

Australian Army launches its first PrSM at Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre 25'. (US Army Sergeant First Class Nicole Mejia)

The Australian Army has launched its first Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) as part of the multinational Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre 25' on 25 July, a US Army official told reporters on 24 July.

Soldiers from the 14th Regiment, 10th Brigade, fired PrSM at Mount Bundey Training Area, Northern Territory, as part of a training exercise, signifying a new level of co-operation between the army and one of its AUKUS counterparts, said US Army Colonel Jon Harvey, director of theatre fires element for US Army Pacific, during a media briefing on 24 July. This live fire is one of two firsts for the US Army, with the next scheduled for August, he said.

Australia signed an agreement with the US to co-produce PrSM Inc 1, according to a June Australian Department of Defence (DoD) press release. Over 10 years, the country will provide AUD310 million (USD203.8 million) towards production of that capability. About AUD150 million over the next five years will procure enough initial quantities of the capability required to establish the first Long-Range Fires Regiment.

The 10th Brigade is a new formation based out of Edinburgh Defence Precinct in Adelaide. It will have Raytheon-Kongsberg-developed National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and Lockheed Martin M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, which will launch PrSM.

During the live fire, a HIMARS launcher sent PrSM about 70 km to hit a stationary target, Alex Miller, chief technology officer to the US Army Chief of Staff, told reporters on 25 July. Flight time was expected to be about six to seven minutes, he said. This is significantly less than PrSM's objective range of more than 400 km.