A Precision Strike Missile struck a sports hall and school in southern Iran early in the U.S.-Israeli conflict, killing at least 21 people including young girls playing volleyball, according to Iranian officials and weapons experts. The missile, barely out of prototype testing, represents a new generation of Army weaponry that was shrouded in secrecy until its battlefield debut.

Developed by Lockheed Martin at a facility in Camden, Arkansas, the PrSM emerged after the 2019 expiration of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The Pentagon has invested heavily in the system, purchasing 54 missiles for $77.4 million in 2022 and requesting $472 million more in 2023. The Army has not yet given it official nomenclature or disclosed its maximum range.

The missile is launched from HIMARS vehicles and can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor, the ATACMS. The Pentagon recently announced plans to quadruple production capacity on a "wartime footing," suggesting the weapon has become central to future war plans. While the exact number deployed remains classified, its use in the Iran conflict marks a significant escalation in U.S. military capabilities.