Lockheed Martin has secured a contract worth up to US$4.94 billion from the U.S. Army to produce Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), which are set to replace the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

The missiles, designed to be compatible with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a truck-mounted rocket artillery system, and the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), are poised to enhance the U.S. military’s long-range precision strike capabilities while offering allies a powerful tool for deterrence and defense.

“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, vice president of precision fire 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.”

The PrSM, with a range exceeding 499 kilometers, features an open systems architecture allowing incremental upgrades, including longer-range variants and diverse explosive payloads.

Structured as an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, this agreement provides the Army with flexibility in ordering units as battlefield needs evolve.

The announcement comes amid a shifting global security landscape, where long-range precision munitions have become pivotal in modern warfare.

To understand the significance of the PrSM, it’s worth examining the legacy of its predecessor, the ATACMS, particularly its role in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, and how the PrSM is set to build on that foundation to reshape battlefield dynamics.

The ATACMS, first introduced in the 1990s, has been a cornerstone of U.S. long-range precision strike capabilities.

With a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) and compatibility with both HIMARS and MLRS platforms, it provided the U.S. Army with a reliable means to strike high-value targets deep behind enemy lines. However, it wasn’t until its deployment in Ukraine in 2023 that the ATACMS truly demonstrated its transformative potential in a contemporary conflict.

For months, Ukraine lobbied the United States to supply ATACMS to counter Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022.

The Biden administration initially hesitated, citing concerns over escalation and the strain on U.S. stockpiles. However, by October 2023, the U.S. relented, delivering a limited number of ATACMS to Ukraine. The impact was immediate and profound.

On October 17, 2023, Ukrainian forces used ATACMS to strike two Russian airfields in occupied territory, reportedly destroying multiple helicopters, an air control tower, and ammunition depots. This attack disrupted Russia’s air operations and showcased the missile’s ability to penetrate deep into contested zones.

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The ATACMS’ success in Ukraine stemmed from several key attributes. Its GPS-guided precision allowed Ukrainian forces to target critical infrastructure with minimal collateral damage, while its 300-kilometer range enabled strikes beyond the reach of most Russian counter-battery systems.

The missile’s compatibility with the HIMARS platform—a lightweight, mobile launcher already in Ukraine’s arsenal—further amplified its effectiveness. HIMARS, with its ability to “shoot and scoot,” could fire an ATACMS and relocate before Russian forces could respond, frustrating Moscow’s attempts to neutralize the threat.

The ATACMS created a strategic headache for the Russian military. It forced a reevaluation of defensive postures, removing high-value assets like airfields, command centers, and logistics hubs from the front lines.

However, the ATACMS was not without limitations. Its single-missile pod configuration limited the volume of fire from each launcher, and its 300-kilometer range, while impressive, was insufficient to reach some of Russia’s deepest strategic targets, such as military bases in Crimea or beyond.

Moreover, the aging design—some missiles in the U.S. inventory date back over 30 years—raised questions about reliability and sustainability in prolonged conflicts. These shortcomings highlighted the need for a next-generation system, paving the way for the PrSM.

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The PrSM: Building On The ATACMS Foundation

The Precision Strike Missile represents a leap forward from the ATACMS, addressing its predecessor’s limitations while introducing new capabilities tailored to modern warfare.

With a range exceeding 499 kilometers, the PrSM’s reach is greater than the ATACMS’, allowing it to strike targets deeper in enemy territory. Its thinner, sleeker design enables two missiles to fit in a single HIMARS or MLRS pod, doubling the firepower per launch compared to the ATACMS’ one-missile configuration.

The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) program originated from the Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) initiative. In 2016, Raytheon Technologies proposed a new replacement for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

That same year, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) within the U.S. Department of Defense approved the LRPF missile’s Milestone A test and evaluation master plan. The program advanced to the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase in March 2017.

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Under the TMRR phase, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon were awarded contracts to develop prototypes and conduct flight tests. The program was renamed PrSM to eliminate confusion while forming the Army’s Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team (LRPF CFT).

Raytheon introduced its DeepStrike missile as a next-generation solution and carried out a static test of its rocket motor in April 2019, followed by an advanced warhead test in May 2019. However, due to technical difficulties during component testing, Raytheon was unable to conduct flight tests and withdrew from the PrSM competition.

In August 2021, the Australian Defence Forces and the U.S. Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing precision missile capabilities. Australia contributed US$51.48 million to the US$667.04 million PrSM program.

A New Era Of Deterrence and Dominance

The PrSM’s introduction will have far-reaching implications for U.S. and allied forces, particularly in contested regions like Eastern Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East. In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the PrSM can amplify Ukraine’s ability to disrupt Russian operations.

A 499-kilometer range could bring key Russian bases in Crimea and western Russia within reach, forcing Moscow to disperse its forces further and expend resources on additional air defenses. The doubled loadout would have allowed Ukrainian HIMARS units to deliver more devastating salvos, overwhelming Russian countermeasures and increasing the likelihood of mission success.

Against a peer adversary like Russia, the PrSM’s extended range and precision could shift the balance in a NATO-Russia confrontation.

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By putting Russian assets at greater risk, it strengthens deterrence, discouraging aggression along NATO’s eastern flank. The missile’s compatibility with HIMARS and MLRS systems already fielded by allies like Poland, Romania, and the UK enhances coalition interoperability, enabling unified responses to threats.

The PrSM’s anti-ship variant adds another dimension. In a maritime conflict, such as a potential clash in the South China Sea, it could target enemy vessels from land-based launchers, complicating an adversary’s naval strategy. This capability aligns with the U.S. military’s Joint All-Domain Operations concept, integrating land, sea, and air forces to dominate contested spaces.

Challenges & Considerations

Despite its promise, the PrSM faces challenges. Scaling production to meet demand—reflected in the US$4.94 billion IDIQ contract—will test Lockheed Martin’s supply chain, especially amid global shortages of critical components like semiconductors.

The transition from ATACMS to PrSM also requires training and logistical adjustments for U.S. and allied forces, a process that could take years. Moreover, the missile’s cost—estimated at US$3.5 million per unit—may limit procurement numbers, particularly for smaller allies.

On the battlefield, adversaries like Russia and China are unlikely to stand still. Both nations are developing hypersonic weapons and advanced air defenses, which could challenge the PrSM’s effectiveness. Countering these systems will require ongoing investment in electronic warfare and seeker technology to ensure the missile remains viable.

The PrSM builds on the ATACMS’ legacy as a game changer, offering greater range, firepower, and adaptability. Its deployment will enhance U.S. and allied deterrence, providing a credible counter to peer adversaries while supporting partners in active conflicts.

• Via: ET News Desk
• Mail us at: editor (at) <a href="http://eurasiantimes.com" rel="nofollow">eurasiantimes.com</a>

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been charged with a new federal indictment weeks before his trial is due to start.

The US rapper was hit with five new criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking, according to court records.

Previous accusations include sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He was already charged with three criminal counts, which he denies, and earlier this month pleaded not guilty to new indictments.

Combs’ trial is set for May 5 in Manhattan and is currently behind bars, having been taken into custody in September 2024.

If found guilty, the mandatory minimum sentence he could face for the charges is 15 years, with a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Since his arrest, Combs has been denied bail multiple times after the US Magistrate Judge Robyn F Tarnofsky said she had ‘very significant concerns’.

When he put in his ‘not guilty’ plea, his legal team are said to have offered a $50million (£37.8million) package to secure his release on bail.

The judge, according to AP, voiced concerns over his alleged substance abuse and ‘what appears to be anger issues.’

Alternatives to denying him bail were considered but she didn’t think they were sufficient because many of the allegations happened behind closed doors.

An estimated 60 civil lawsuits have also been filed against Combs, including a $10million (£7.85million) lawsuit after allegedly dangling a woman from a 17th-floor balcony.

One case, filed in January by an anonymous woman, claimed she was lured into his car after babysitting and assaulted by Combs.

The alleged victim said she went into his car ‘after much cajoling’, where two of his associates were also sat, and was given a drink to ‘calm her down’ — rapidly becoming groggy.

She claims Combs then sexually assaulted her before the two other men dropped her home.

Another case was put forward by an unnamed man who claimed Combs sexually assaulted him at a hotel in New York in 2005, when he was aged just 10, during an ‘audition’.

A different lawsuit from October 2024, via CNN, alleges that ‘Combs asked Plaintiff hypothetical questions about handling situations involving sexual pressure’, during a one-on-one interview on the first day of reality show Making the Band.

Another report stated that five civil lawsuits were filed at once, including a claim that he raped and drugged one female plaintiff when she was 13 years old.

One woman has come forward alleging that he violently raped her in 2001, alongside his head of security, Joseph Sherman.

She said after being invited to meet Combs, while dating one of his employees, she was given a drink ‘likely laced with a drug’ and lost consciousness.

Waving her anonymity, Thalia Graves claimed that she later woke up restrained, when they sexually abused and violated her, ‘mercilessly raping her anally and vaginally’.

Other accusations stem from his so-called ‘Freak-Off’ parties, with documents and videos reportedly seen by the New York Post said to show Combs held at least three of these raucous sex parties.

The federal indictment was unsealed and includes allegations that Combs coerced multiple alleged victims into sex acts, known as ‘freak offs’.

He allegedly organised and directed the ‘freak offs’, and is accused of ‘directing, masturbating during, and often electronically recording’ them.

Over 100 people are said to be planning to sue Combs in allegations from unnamed accusers who were as young as 9 at the time.

The timeline of accusations against the rapper is extensive, with previous allegations and court cases stretching back to the 90s.

Combs has denied all allegations against him.

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday declassified a host of materials from the FBI’s 2016 investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia, the latest instance of Trump using the power of his office to relitigate his past political grievances.

In signing the executive action, Trump completed a process he started during the final days of his first term, when he ordered a full declassification of the FBI’s Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane.

That effort led to a behind the scenes scramble as Republican aides and Trump officials worked to collect and redact a binder filled with highly classified material. Trump officially declassified the material on January 19, 2021, during his last full day in office, but the documents were never made public. An unredacted copy of the binder ended up mysteriously disappearing, as CNN first reported in 2023.

Among the binder’s contents were reams of information about the Russia investigation, including highly sensitive raw intelligence the US and its NATO allies collected on Russians and Russian agents that informed the US government’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election. That material is likely to be redacted in the documents that are being released publicly.

It also included classified information about the FBI’s problematic foreign intelligence surveillance warrants on a Trump campaign adviser from 2017; interview notes with infamous dossier author Christopher Steele, and internal FBI and DOJ text messages and emails, among other documents.

Trump noted in his memorandum that material the FBI proposed for redactions in January 2021 should remain classified, as well as “materials that must be protected from disclosure pursuant to orders of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.”

“At my direction, the Department of Justice has already started the process in order to release materials related to the FBI’s infamous Crossfire Hurricane investigation, an example of weaponized government against President Trump at its worst that must never be allowed to happen again,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

Tuesday’s order is one of several ways Trump went after the Russia investigation since returning to office, as part of his broader crackdown on his perceived political enemies and those who have investigated him over the past eight years. Trump also signed an executive order Tuesday today directing agencies to suspend the security clearances and access to federal buildings of lawyers from the firm Jenner & Block.

The law firm previously employed former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who led the successful prosecution of Trump’s 2016 campaign leader Paul Manafort as one of the top prosecutors in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Trump’s allies have pushed for the release of the binder since his election, including his FBI Director, Kash Patel.

“Put out the documents. Put out the evidence. We only have gotten halfway down the Russiagate hole,” Patel said on Fox News in November, before he was tapped to lead the FBI. “The people need to know that their FBI is restored by knowing full well what they did to unlawfully surveil them.”

The FBI in 2023 released some redacted documents from the Crossfire Hurricane investigation in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. But John Solomon – a conservative journalist Trump tapped as his representative to the Archives to try to obtain the documents in 2022 – said the disclosures were insufficient, according to a lawsuit Solomon had previously filed to try to obtain the binder documents from the Biden administration.

CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.

The US State Department has made its first comment on Georgia under the new administration of US President Donald Trump, maintaining the previous administration’s critical tone towards the Georgian government.

On Wednesday, <a href="http://www.globalnews.ge" rel="nofollow">www.globalnews.ge</a> published the US State Department’s written response ‘regarding the United States’ position on the current situation in Georgia’.

‘We continue to evaluate our approach to Georgia to advance American interests’, the response read.

‘The United States has made clear the steps Georgia’s government can take to demonstrate it is serious about improving its relationship with the United States.   Regarding continuing anti-democratic actions taken by the Georgian Dream government — as Vice President [JD] Vance said in Munich, you cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail, nor can you win one by disregarding your basic electorate on questions like who gets to be a part of our shared society’.

‘The United States has been a partner to Georgia and the Georgian people for 33 years, and a strong supporter of Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity throughout that time’.

The US State Department’s comments were made after a <a href="http://www.globalnews.ge" rel="nofollow">www.globalnews.ge</a> journalist questioned US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce about US–Georgia relations during a recent press briefing.

‘Have you had any communication with the ruling party in Georgia? If so, could you share what type of communication exists between you? The situation in Georgia is very difficult, the Georgian people and the international community do not recognise the election results. Peaceful protesters have been arrested as well as an independent journalist [media manager Mzia Amaghlobeli] who is currently in jail. Given these circumstances, what is your perspective on the situation in Georgia?’, the journalist asked.

While the statement has not appeared in any official statement from the State Department or on its website, IPN reported that the US Embassy in Georgia had confirmed its authenticity.

Since Trump’s election, there has been considerable speculation on what position his administration will take regarding Georgia and its current political crisis.

The crisis originated after the October 2024 parliamentary elections gave the ruling Georgian Dream party a large majority, with 54% of the vote.

It then deepened when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced in late November that the government was halting Georgia’s EU bid until 2028, sparking daily mass protests during which more than 400 demonstrators have been reported to have been detained thus far.

At the time, then-US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller stated that the US had suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia.

In December, the US sanctioned the billionaire founder and honorary chair of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for ‘undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation’.

Georgian Dream officials were quick to criticise the decision.

Following the election, Georgian Dream officials changed tactics, making a concerted effort to court the Trump administration while often appearing to copy Trump’s rhetoric when describing domestic issues

The diplomatic freeze that began under former US President Joe Biden ended in March 2025, when the US Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunigan met with Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili.

The Georgian government’s cautious rhetoric

Following the October 2024 parliamentary elections — where it secured a fourth consecutive victory, despite the results not being recognised by the local opposition and civil society — Georgian Dream repeatedly stated that it looked forward to resetting relations with the US.

The rhetoric of Georgian Dream, its satellites, and mouthpieces was built on the premise that the new US administration would begin a fight against the ‘deep state’ and the ‘global war party’ , while simultaneously improving relations between Georgia and the US.

Georgian Dream officials have routinely referenced the threat of the global war party and deep state, two nebulous terms for shadowy forces the ruling party claims have been trying to pull Georgia into war and overthrow the government.

But recently their rhetoric has changed.

Since late December, senior Georgian Dream officials have begun making cautious statements that not everything was as clear-cut regarding future Georgia–US relations.

Parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze claimed in December that Georgia should not place ‘too much hope’ on Trump’s second term.

‘We should neither be hopeless nor place undue hope in the period after 20 January [Trump’s inauguration day]’, he said.

Mdinaradze claimed ‘Trump’s two main promises’ suited Georgia, including his promises regarding ‘ending the war [in Ukraine]’ and ‘defeating the deep state’.

‘The positioning of our country will depend on the events after 20 January, to what extent Donald Trump will be able to fulfill his promises’, Mdinaradze said.

On Wednesday, Luka Ekhvaia, advisor to Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on international relations, stated in a podcast by the Georgian Public Broadcaster that the rhetoric of Georgian Dream representatives shows that the party is willing to continue the US’s critical policy towards them.

On Thursday, Georgian Dream’s mouthpiece Zaza Shatirishvili wrote in a letter published by local pro-government media that Georgian Dream team is changing its rhetoric regarding the US. Previously, party members and their satellites said that Trump would defeat the deep state, but now they also consider the US president to be its tool.

‘The US is still the main instrument of the global war party. Accordingly, its collapse also means the collapse of the global war party. Against the background of serious problems facing the American economy and the dollar, the deep state desperately needs to strengthen the image of America. However, naturally, even under the conditions of rebranding, the wolf will not stop howling and the deep state will not stop implementing its militaristic and revolutionary plans’, he wrote.

‘In fact, Trump is just as forced to submit to the global war party and the “deep state” as Biden’.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Georgian Dream General Secretary and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said that ‘we started talking about the deep state a little earlier, three years ago. Back then, no one dared to do so, and I must say, I expected that when the Trump administration came, it would thank the Georgian government for all this’.

‘Today, the situation is that Trump is fighting the deep state, and this is not something we invented. When we talked about it, we were laughed at, but when Trump became president, the whole world learned that there is a “deep state” — a shadowy force that rules the world’.

‘Today we are in a waiting mode, there is a certain vacuum’, he said.

‘Let’s wait, we support the new US administration in defeating the deep state and if this really happens, of course, the consequences will also affect Georgia’.