Raytheon offering US Army new precision long range missile.

Concept drawing of the missile

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will offer a new missile design to meet the U.S. Army's Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) requirement to replace current army tactical missile system weapons.

"Our LRPF design will provide the U.S. Army with double the combat power of its ground launchers by utilizing a new design that fits two missiles in a single launcher pod -- increasing effectiveness at a fraction of the cost of the current weapon," said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missile Systems. "Advances in propulsion will enable LRPF to fly faster over longer distances -- approximately 500 kilometers -- to defeat fixed land targets. This is the definition of overmatch against future threats."

Raytheon will design LRPF to integrate with the M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS rocket launchers. The new missile's range and speed will provide U.S. Army combat units to engage targets over vast geographic space in a high-threat environment.

I told my Marine Corps brothers to keep an eye on the Army! They're getting their act together and are making smart moves. I like this. The Marine Corps needs to get onboard this program and even join with that previous initiative that the Army tried by participating fully in a Land Power Program to leverage tech that is useful to both services.

This is a no brainer and Raytheon/Army leadership is to be saluted!

NOTE! You do get the force of connection here don't you? The US Army is soon to field a missile that will out range the current ATACMS (which can reach 300km)! Quite honestly this is moving into deep strike territory! Who needs to do interdiction with aircraft when you can reach out and touch the enemy with long range precision fires?

NOTE 1: You can find a power point of the long range fires concept here.

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2015PSAR/Stephens.pdf