US Army - Lockheed Martin Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF)

Forest Green said:
armyrecognition.com

Typhon MRC in Philippines as a Strategic Asset for Deterrence in South China Sea

Typhon MRC in Philippines as a Strategic Asset for Deterrence in South China Sea
armyrecognition.com armyrecognition.com
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That article swaps the LRHW range for the Typhon range. I’m not sure what the SM-6 range would be against surface targets but it is well under Tomahawk, which is reported as being about a thousand miles. The 1750 mile range was given as the Dark Eagle range maybe a year ago in an army press release and based on the previous 2017 test of the glide body and the most recent NOTAMs for LRHW are significantly lower than the system will be capable of.
 
Josh_TN said:
I’m not sure what the SM-6 range would be against surface targets
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Admitted to be over 500km in tests. Wouldn't be surprised if it can reach 1000km for an immobile target. (Climb to ~100kft, cruise/glide as far as possible, then tip over and drop in)
 
Scott Kenny said:
Admitted to be over 500km in tests. Wouldn't be surprised if it can reach 1000km for an immobile target. (Climb to ~100kft, cruise/glide as far as possible, then tip over and drop in)
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Perhaps, but it probably is firmly subsonic for a lot of that. So basically up where it can easily be seen with little forward airspeed.
 
Forest Green said:
www.twz.com

Army Looking To Shrink Typhon Missile System After Lessons Learned From First Deployment

Typhon, which can fire Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, currently makes use of large tractor-trailer launchers.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
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Not surprising, and something that should have been known before the first test deployment with solutions already being studied. Having such a long package with a prime mover and trailer really limits deployment areas.

They should still procure a few units while deciding the proper way to move forward. Some capability is better than no capability, and the longer trailers can always be used at friendly sites or pre positioned near potential hot spots.
 
Down sizing to a 6x6 and two missiles seems practical, if it could support the weight. A pair of tomahawk is three tons, so that might not work.
 
Forest Green said:
www.twz.com

Army Looking To Shrink Typhon Missile System After Lessons Learned From First Deployment

Typhon, which can fire Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, currently makes use of large tractor-trailer launchers.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
Click to expand...

The Marines are doing the Long-Range Fires Launcher, which is a robotic JLTV with a single Tomahawk canister.

1729081861764.png

But that's a lot of vehicles for not a lot of missiles. Alternatively, you should be able to get three 21-inch canisters across on the back of a PLS. That would be rather more mobile than the current Typhon launcher.

(HT to @sferrin for that last one: https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...ic-weapons-projects-general.30673/post-418487)
 
Shoes31 said:
Not surprising, and something that should have been known before the first test deployment with solutions already being studied. Having such a long package with a prime mover and trailer really limits deployment areas.

They should still procure a few units while deciding the proper way to move forward. Some capability is better than no capability, and the longer trailers can always be used at friendly sites or pre positioned near potential hot spots.
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Remember this entire concept did not exist pre 2019/INF withdrawal. Off the shelf components were thrown together to build the capability, including an existing launcher, BOC, and missiles. There were alway going to be limitations. Furthermore there was a large shift in Philippines politics relatively recently; several years ago it would have been unthinkable to deploy such a system there. I am truly shocked the Marcos government is allowing it an open ended stay.

I think Army only has a half dozen batteries planned for its multi domain task forces. If more intermediate ranged weapons are desired perhaps a more mobile system is developed.
 
NMaude said:
I'm surprised the Copperhead is still around, I was under the impression they were retired years ago.
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War reserves, presumably. Several hundred were handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces as recently as 2018, after the LAF made successful combat use of their existing inventory of Copperheads against ISIS.

ctc.westpoint.edu

The Lebanese Armed Forces and Hezbollah’s Competing Summer Offensives Against Sunni Militants - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Abstract: This past summer, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) launched an offensive that made significant headway against Islamic State forces in northeast Lebanon. But its counterterrorism efforts have repeatedly run into interference from Hezbollah, which not only launched its own operation...
ctc.westpoint.edu ctc.westpoint.edu
 
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jsport said:
wonder if laser designation rds might become a 'thing' again if the LD is on a drone & lasers have a bit of better quality in smoke, mist, dust environments especially since the jamming cloud certainly is a thing now.
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Doubtful. INS/GPS is good enough for area targets even in an GPS denied environment (and future fuse kits will use Mcode) and there are already artillery rounds with terminal seekers in the works. The need to illuminate the target is a major liability for laser guided weapons - it not only limits what areas can be fired upon; it also limits rate of fire.
 

The use of Copperhead by a special forces unit​

The unit’s task was to enter the mission area, search for a target to guide the shells, and check their accuracy and effectiveness in hitting the selected objects.

The M712 projectile with a high explosive warhead was selected for the task. Its guidance was performed using a LEONARDO Type 163 Laser target designator.

After arriving at the position of one of the Defense Forces units, which was located near the line of contact, the group learned from its commander about the situation in the area of responsibility, possible targets, and locations from which to target.

Together with a representative from the defense forces unit as a guide, the SOF subunit (4 operators) moved to the position to install the laser designator (LD). The subunit consisted of:

  • the commander of the SOF unit
  • an operator of the laser targeting device
  • a communications operator;
  • a cover operator.
The rest of the unit (3 operators) remained to guard the vehicles, acting as a rapid response team to assist the targeting subunit.

the designator able to track moving tgts in LOS can be a close battle positive. New designators the size of pistols and even for wpn rails helps for close threats also. eliminate the jammers so Excaliburs are unhindered. 1731881435480.png
 

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breakingdefense.com

Army eyeing new PrSM Inc. 5 weapon to fire from autonomous launchers beyond 1000 km - Breaking Defense

“You might be able to employ something that's actually longer … and you might be able to achieve ranges that right now don't seem realistic,” said Brig. Gen. Rory Crooks.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

WASHINGTON — The US Army is developing a fifth Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) that it could potentially launch from an autonomous launcher to hit targets beyond 1,000 km, according to two service leaders.

At an Association of the US Army event today, the commanding general for the service’s Fires Center of Excellence Maj. Gen. Winston Brook showed a slide with a PrSM Increment 5 weapon listed as a future capability.

“If you’re familiar with an [M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System] MLRS pod, it’s about 13-feet long,” the one-star general told the audience. “If you have something without a cab, that’s autonomous, you might be able to employ something longer than that.”

“We’re in the science and technology phase of something that we’ll maybe, eventually call Increment 5,” Crooks added. “You might be able to employ something that’s actually longer … and you might be able to achieve ranges that, right now, don’t seem realistic.”
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I wonder if an air-launched version of the PrSM will be developed? It shouldn't be difficult to do and would have a greatly extended range.
 

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