Raytheon has conducted the third successful flight test of its DeepStrike JR3, a Joint Reduced Range Rocket designed to replace the US Army’s aging artillery practice munition. At Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, multiple rockets were launched in rapid succession to assess performance across range, trajectory, accuracy, and marking visibility. The test also evaluated the recovery, maintenance, and reuse of the launch pod following firing. The development effort includes Combined Systems, Corvid Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and the government-operated Letterkenny Munitions Center. Raytheon said additional flight trials are planned ahead of qualification. The JR3 is intended to replace the Army’s Low-Cost Reduced Range Practice Rocket, which supports live-fire training for crews using the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS. These reduced-range rounds allow personnel to train with operational rocket artillery systems without expending full-range combat ammunition and are used for annual qualification and pre-deployment preparation. Raytheon’s DeepStrike version uses a 24-rocket pod derived from the established MLRS Family of Munitions design. Its recoverable and reusable configuration could help lower training costs. Lockheed Martin is pursuing a competing JR3 variant and completed its first successful flight test at White Sands Missile Range in September 2025, demonstrating the rocket’s range, trajectory, and marking payload, alongside the launch tube’s reloading and reuse capability.
