Lockheed Martin’s modernized Tactical Missile System (TACMS) missile has completed its fifth consecutive successful flight in a test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
The TACMS missile used in this test, launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher, was cold-conditioned, and flew approximately 85 kilometers to the target.
The test further confirmed that the missile functions as designed and meets the contract and performance requirements of the Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) program.
(HIMARS carries a single six-pack of GMLRS rockets or one TACMS missile on the Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) 5-ton truck, and can launch the entire MLRS family of munitions. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin and YouTube)
“The continued success of the modernized TACMS flight test program validates production readiness,” said Scott Greene, vice president of Precision Fires & Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
“Our team is singularly focused on performing for our customer, the U.S. Army, because we know we cannot let them down on the battlefield.”
The missile used in the test was produced at Lockheed Martin’s Precision Fires Production Center of Excellence in Camden, Arkansas.
As part of the U.S. Army’s TACMS Service Life Extension Program, the modernized missile includes new state-of-the-art guidance electronics and added capability to defeat area targets without leaving behind unexploded ordnance.
The TACMS modernization process disassembles and demilitarizes TACMS Block 1 and 1A submunition warheads, replacing them with new unitary warheads and bringing them into compliance with Department of Defense policy on cluster munitions and unintended harm to civilians.
The modernization process also resets the missile’s 10+ year shelf life.
The TACMS platform provides maximum flexibility to quickly integrate new payloads and capabilities to meet current and future demands.
With unsurpassed performance and a longstanding record of production excellence, TACMS is the only long-range tactical surface-to-surface missile ever employed by the U.S. Army in combat. TACMS missiles can be fired from the entire family of Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launchers.
