Army Eyes Long-Range Precision Munition 'Shoot-Off' in FY 2022

The U.S. Army will conduct an exercise for long-range precision munition candidates in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022 in line with plans to integrate LRPM weapons into future aircraft, Defense News reported Friday.

The “shoot-off” will serve as the first for airborne LRP munitions and support the Army’s efforts to test currently available long-range precision munitions as the service branch continues to establish requirements and identify vendors for a permanent LRPM capability, according to a request for information posted Feb. 2 on SAM.gov.

LRPM will support the Army’s future fleet of aircraft that are envisioned to conduct adversary engagement from a safe standpoint.

According to the Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions Project Office’s RFI, the Army plans to integrate LRPM into future attack reconnaissance aircraft slated for demonstration with the munitions in FY 2026.

Previously, the Army selected the Rafael-Built Spike missile as its temporary long-range, precision-guided airborne weapon.

The service plans to begin soliciting white papers for LRPM in January 2023 ahead of preliminary design reviews.

Responses to the RFI are due on March 4.

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