A HIMARS launcher fitted with a GLMRS six-pack launch module. Photos: ADF.
The Federal Government has announced it has chosen Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) to meet the army’s Project LAND 8113 Phase 2 land-based maritime strike (LBMS) requirement.
The HIMARS/PrSM combination will enable the army to hold maritime targets at risk at ranges of up to 500 kilometres from Australia’s coastline. The selection follows the test-firing of a PrSM Increment II in March, when it successfully demonstrated its capabilities.
The Increment II expands on the PrSM Increment I, which is designed to hit fixed targets at ranges in excess of those of the previous MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Future versions of PrSM will feature ranges of up to 1000 km, and improved seekers and warheads.
Australia is a cooperative development partner with the US Army on the PrSM Increment II and follow-on developments.
The selection of the HIMARS will add a second regiment to those that employ the 120 km-range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile, which started entering army service in 2025.
The HIMARS/PrSM combination was pitched against the Australian-designed and developed Strikemaster system, which integrates the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) with the Thales Australia Bushmaster armoured vehicle.
Many commentators had predicted a dual selection of the HIMARS and the Strikemaster, as the systems tackle the naval strike mission from two vastly different tangents. The PrSM is a hypersonic ballistic missile that attacks its targets from high up, whereas the NSM is a subsonic sea-skimming missile that can chart a course through littoral regions and crowded shipping lanes to find its target.
There is no word from the government on whether the Strikemaster is still in the running, although with the 27 April announcement that Bushmaster vehicle production will continue at Thales’ Bendigo facility for a few years and the prospect of overseas sales of the Strikemaster, there may still be scope for it to continue to be developed.
An Australian Army HIMARS test-launches a PrSM at the 2025 Exercise Talisman Saber.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the decision was a significant investment in Australia’s long‑range strike capability, which would bolster the ADF.
“This capability delivers on the National Defence Strategy direction to accelerate and expand the acquisition of land-based long-range fires to provide the ADF with a deployable strike capability to protect Australia’s northern approaches and contribute to sea control and sea denial,” he said.
“This is another significant milestone as the Albanese Government continues to invest in an integrated, focused force that meets our strategic circumstances.”
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the army needed a stronger long-range strike capability.
“The government is investing up to $37 billion over the next decade on targeting and long-range strike capabilities for the ADF,” he said.
“We’re already making missiles that can be fired from the HIMARS — and this decision will create even more demand for PrSM missiles within the Australian Army and deliver more opportunities for PrSM manufacture in Australia.”
Asked about the Strikemaster’s future on 27 April, Mr Marles said only that the government was “working through all those processes”.
