Breakthrough DeepStrike Missile Surpasses US Army’s Lethality Standards
Raytheon Tests Advanced Warhead for DeepStrike Missile
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has achieved a significant milestone by successfully testing an advanced warhead for its cutting-edge DeepStrike® surface-to-surface missile. This accomplishment brings the missile closer to its planned first flight test scheduled for later this year.
The DeepStrike missile is Raytheon’s entry for the U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) program, which aims to replace the aging Army Tactical Missile System. Designed in the 1970s, the current system is nearing the end of its operational life. During a recent arena test at the National Technical Systems facility, experts successfully detonated the warhead in a controlled setting, confirming that it surpasses Army performance requirements regarding fragment mass and distribution.
Dr. Thomas Bussing, Vice President of Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems, remarked, “This test, alongside our successful preliminary design review for DeepStrike, demonstrates our rapid progress in delivering this essential capability to ground troops. Raytheon’s advanced technology and expertise in missile design uniquely position us to provide the Army with an exceptional long-range surface-to-surface missile.”
The DeepStrike missile boasts an innovative two-in-the-pod design, along with numerous enhancements that increase range and speed. It offers double the firepower at half the operational cost, is more maneuverable, and features a modular open architecture for easy system upgrades.
Additionally, Raytheon’s DeepStrike missile will effectively target fixed land assets located between 60 and 499 kilometers away, thus improving responsiveness compared to existing systems and empowering the Army to regain superiority over adversaries on the battlefield.
