Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile potentially impacts civilian areas due to wide pellet spray during first combat use
The U.S. military confirmed firing Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) into Iran, but the administration announced that the weapons did not strike the southern city of Lamerd on February 28. However, a review by the conflict monitor Airwars and verification by the Associated Press suggests the PrSM was the weapon responsible for three strikes in Lamerd that killed at least 21 civilians, including seven children.
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Airwars mapped the damage radius of the strikes, finding that the U.S. military's new missile detonates midair and propels tens of thousands of dense tungsten pellets in all directions. These pellets can travel as far as 50 meters from the detonation point, causing significant damage to buildings and streets. While the U.S. military and the Israeli military denied responsibility for the strikes, weapons experts noted that the security camera footage from Lamerd does not match Iranian models. The PrSM is designed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System. It can hit targets over 499 kilometers away. The Pentagon signed a contract worth over $4 billion with Lockheed Martin to quadruple production of the weapon.