Tested at White Sands

According to Lockheed Martin's October 28, 2026 announcement, the test crew launched a GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) from the HIMARS platform, then used the Strigo data link and the Remote Interceptor Guidance-360 (RIG-360) device to update the rocket's target while it was flying. The GMLRS then successfully destroyed the moving target. Lockheed calls this a first for the GMLRS program, and says the Strigo integration with the RIG-360 was funded internally.

Lockheed has not announced the specific date of the test, the version of GMLRS used, the firing range, when the update command was sent, which sensors provided target tracking data, as well as the type and speed of the target.

What are Strigo and RIG-360

Strigo is a product line Lockheed introduced on August 10, 2026, including radio (RF) sensors, data transmission lines for missiles and homing heads, all built on the same modular platform to be reconfigured for many tasks, from air defense, missile defense to ground attack. Lockheed said it has so far poured $250 million into the Strigo product center, which pre-developed hardware before the military even made an official request.

The RIG-360 is the ground end of the link. This is a software-defined X-band communications device, consisting of a mast-mounted antenna array and a control block, originally made for the US Army's IBCS combat command system to send en-route updates to the Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missile in all 360-degree directions. On October 20, Lockheed said the RIG-360 had completed detailed design approval, carrier suspension tests and the first development test with PAC-3 in less than two months.

Simply put, Strigo is the "listening" part on the rocket, while RIG-360 is the "transmitting station" on the ground. Putting the two together, the flying rocket can receive new coordinates.

Why changing goals midway is important

To see the value of testing, it's important to remember how GMLRS works. This is a 227 mm guided rocket, with a range of about 70 km. Each HIMARS platform carries a cluster of 6, while the M270 crawler platform carries 2 clusters. GMLRS is guided by a GPS-enabled inertial navigation unit, flying to pre-loaded coordinates before launch. This method is very accurate with fixed targets, but if the target moves after the command to fire has been issued, the rocket will still fly to the old position, and the artillery crew must recalculate to fire a new shot.

Changing the target on the flight path solves that limitation. Lockheed said this capability helps commanders adjust pre-programmed strikes as battlefield conditions change. With a weapon originally intended for fixed targets, this is the door to reach mobile and time-sensitive targets, such as rocket launchers, self-propelled guns or ships. Lockheed and the US Army have not said these types of targets have been tested, but defense sites such as Army Recognition and The Defense Post mention them as potential applications.

Shorten kill chains, waste less ammo

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Lockheed described the test as a step toward the U.S. Army's "networked precision fire" vision, linking sensors, launchers and target designation systems into a unified kill chain. From what has been announced, we can see some practical benefits.

• The first is to shorten the kill chain. Instead of having to wait to determine the target's final location before firing, the rocket can be launched early and receive more accurate coordinates along the way. Flight time becomes a period of adjustment, not a period of downtime.
• Second is to waste less ammo. Once the target has left its position, a rocket that receives a new command will not have to enter a coordinate that is no longer valid, and the gun crew does not need to fire another shot to compensate.
• Third is to flexibly switch to a more important target if it appears while the rocket is flying, instead of being locked into the original plan.
• Fourth is cost and scale. Instead of a new homing projectile, this capability is built on a mass-produced rocket. Lockheed delivered the 75,000th GMLRS to the US Army in July 2024, is increasing capacity to 14,000 rounds per year, and in June 2026 received a contract of about 3 billion USD for GMLRS production in fiscal 2026. If the upgrade retains almost the same bullet body, it could be put into the available line quite quickly, although the cost of adding a data link for each shell has not yet been announced. announced.

Another notable point is that the RIG-360 was originally created for the IBCS air defense network. Reusing it for GMLRS shows that in the future, sensors of air defense and missile defense networks can contribute to guiding ground attacks, following the "any sensor can connect to any firepower" model pursued by the US military.

Paving the way for ER GMLRS

Lockheed says this datalink package is directly applicable to other types of rockets and missiles, including the long-range GMLRS (ER GMLRS) and the PrSM precision strike missile. The test took place just a few days after Lockheed announced on October 19 that the ER GMLRS had been passed the Milestone C milestone by the US Army, meaning it was ready for production and being put into service, after two rounds of combat testing conducted by soldiers.

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ER GMLRS has a larger engine and moves the rudder control to the tail, reaching a range of up to 150 km, about double the original, and can still fire from both HIMARS and M270. Longer range means longer flight time, so mobile targets can also travel further between launch and arrival. The data pipeline turns that time into an opportunity for correction, provided the sensor network keeps the data on target.

What about PrSM

PrSM Increment 1 is a deep-range attack missile to replace ATACMS, with a range of more than 400 km. Increment 2 adds a homing head to hit moving targets on land and at sea. According to Defense News, Lockheed said Increment 2 first flew 350 km in March 2026, and Strigo technology contributed to several aspects of this probe package.

With a missile that has a homing head like the PrSM Increment 2, the data transmission line helps narrow the area that the probe must search, an important factor when targeting ships running at sea. As for GMLRS without a homing head, the data transmission line is almost the entire solution to the moving target problem.

For countries using HIMARS and GMLRS, the attraction lies in the fact that this capability reuses existing launchers and, according to Lockheed, does not require fundamental changes to the projectile. If put into service, this could be a way to upgrade current ammunition depots instead of buying new systems, although it depends on whether each country has a sufficient sensor and command network to exploit it or not.

Things left open

It should be noted that this is just one successful demonstration with specific equipment and test conditions. As Army Recognition commented, the published results showed that the rocket successfully changed targets, but did not demonstrate the ability to continuously stick to the target or self-guide in the final stage. Lockheed has not announced the target speed, the number of updates sent, or at what stage of the flight the rocket was calibrated.

A rocket without a homing head will only be as good as the quality of the target tracking data from the outside and the transmission to the projectile, which will certainly be the target of electronic warfare. The link's anti-jamming capabilities have not been announced, and there are currently no requirements, budget or official roadmap to put this capability into service.

Still, the message is quite clear: precision rockets are no longer just "fire and forget" at a fixed coordinate. When networked, each GMLRS can become a flexible link in the chain from sensor to firepower, and that is the greatest value that the shot at White Sands brings.

Source: Lockheed Martin, Army Technology, Army Recognition, Defense News, The Defense Post