The 5 eyes intelligence dismisses allegations and speculations that Covid19 originated due to an accident in a Chinese laboratory

Information shared among the Five Eyes, the intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, dismisses as "highly unlikely" speculations that the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak originated due to an accident in a Chinese laboratory, writes CNN.
Instead, judging by an assessment put together by the intelligence-sharing coalition, the source of the current pandemic can potentially be traced to a Chinese market, claim two Western diplomatic officials cited by the outlet.
"We think it's highly unlikely it was an accident… It is highly likely it was naturally occurring and that the human infection was from natural human and animal interaction."
Member-states of “Five Eyes” are suggested as being increasingly unanimous in converging around this assessment, claimed the cited sources.

A third source was cited as acknowledging that the level of certainty voiced by Trump and Pompeo was "way out in front of" the current Five Eyes assessment, alleging there was yet nothing to disclaim that the virus originated from a laboratory.
Adding that there was no proof yet to substantiate this as a legitimate theory, the source said "clearly the market is where it exploded from". However, that leaves open the question of just how the virus reached the market.
More cooperation and transparency from the Chinese side could bring about greater certainty regarding the issue, underscored the source.
The possibility was also acknowledged that the US was not sharing all of its intelligence.
There has not yet been an official assessment of the information by the US.
The US intelligence community issued a statement on 30 April saying it is still working to "determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan".
CNN has cited a senior Office of the Director of National Intelligence official claiming on Monday that there was evidence supporting both theories regarding the virus.
"We regularly share intelligence with our partners on a variety of threats and COVID is no different… The IC stands by the statement that the ODNI released last Thursday and we underscore three points: the IC believes the virus started in China. We're down to two theories and have evidence on both. We agree that it does not appear to have been purposeful."
US-China War of Words
The report appears to contradict earlier emphatic claims by US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who have been doubling down on the assertion that the virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic initially started last December, and accusing the country of a deliberate cover-up in the critical early stages.
The rhetoric from Washington at this point has not been substantiated by any proof.
In a Sunday interview with ABC, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke of "enormous evidence" that the outbreak of the respiratory disease originated in a Wuhan laboratory, stopping short of actually offering any details.
Statements by the former CIA director followed US President Donald Trump's claims on 30 April that he had seen evidence giving him a "high degree of confidence" the virus originated in a Chinese lab.
“It got out. China should’ve stopped it.”
“[China] didn’t want to have us see it. Maybe they were worried about competence, maybe they were worried about something else.”
Beijing has been forcefully dismissing all accusations, with the state-owned Global Times newspaper saying in an editorial on Monday that Pompeo had "stunned the world with groundless accusations."
"Since Pompeo said his claims are supported by 'enormous evidence', then he should present this so-called evidence to the world, and especially to the American public who he continually tries to fool,” says the editorial.
China has accused the US of “telling lies” about the pandemic to deflect attention from criticism at home over the Trump administration’s efforts to deal with the outbreak.
"They have only one objective: to try to shirk responsibility for their own epidemic and prevention and control measures and divert public attention," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on 28 April.
Debate Around Virus Origins
As the world struggles with the pandemic, scientists both in China and the West have cited research indicating the virus is likely to have originated in bats and jumped to humans from an intermediate host, similarly to how the SARS epidemic started in 2002 and 2003.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence in its Thursday meeting had emphasised that the "Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified."

The World Health Organisation has not received any data from the US proving that the COVID-19 virus was not of natural origin, Michael Ryan, the organisation's executive director of Health Emergencies Programme, said. The WHO also called for a 'scientific-based' rather than a political probe into the origin of the coronavirus.
To date, the US has recorded more than 1.1 million cases of the coronavirus, with over 68,000 deaths related to COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

When Paul Kagame secretly met marshal Mobutu Seseko at N'sele in 1991

Paul Kagame at N ' sele, March 1991.
It was on the sidelines of the signing of the "N ' saddle agreement", signed as part of the indirect negotiations between the Government of Rwanda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), under the mediation of President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire.
It is 4 months earlier (on 22 November 1990) in Goma, that Zaire calls for the first time at the negotiating table the delegates of the two belligerents to the Rwandan conflict. A month earlier (October 1st), while Ugandan presidents Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana are in New York, some hundred elements of the RPF had launched their first historic offensive on the Rwandan territory, attacking the post of Kagitumba, before reaching Gabiro (90 kms from Kigali).
After this first round of the November 1990 negotiations in Goma, Zaire once again called the two belligerents in Brussels (Belgium) in December 1990. The delegation of the Rwandan government was composed of Shamukiga Charles (Luxembourg's Consul in Rwanda) , André Katabarwa (Ambassador of Rwanda to Rome), Father Mahame (Superior of the Jesuits in Rwanda) and Pastor Musabe (Deputy Director of the African Continental Bank-Rwanda). The delegation delegation was composed of Jacques Bihozagara, Patrick Mazimpaka, Pastor Bizimungu and Jean Barahinyura.
A 3th round of negotiations was held in Dar-Es-Salaam (Tanzania) in February 1991, before the signing of an agreement on 29 March 1991 in N ' saddle (suburb de Kinshasa, capital of the rd Congo).
The N ' saddle agreement introduced a ceasefire between the Government of Rwanda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front. On the side of the Government of Rwanda, it was signed by Dr. Casimir Bizimungu (then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda) and on the side of the RPF, by Pastor Bizimungu (then to Information Commissioner) and General Major Paul Kagame (then Military Chief of the Rwandan Patriotic Front).
Unfortunately, the N ' saddle agreement was broken the following day by the RPF's resumption of hostilities. The two belligerents were again invited to the negotiating table and the Agreement was amended in Gbadolite (Zaire) on 16 September 1991 and in Arusha (Tanzania) on 12 July 1992.
The N ' saddle agreement was one of the few official documents Paul Kagame signed his signature. In the next, he will pull the strings, prefer to delegate Pastor Bizimungu or Alexis Kanyarengwe.

The zambian army still occupies some DRCs villages

The Zambian army still occupied the villages Moliro, Kibanga and Kalubamba
05.05.2020,
The Zambian military forces have occupied the border villages of Muliro, Kibanga and Kalubamba in Tanganyika Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 20 March. These Zambian military incursions into the city of Moliro, where they operate, and conduct land and aerial patrols with helicopter in several areas.
These areas claimed by Zambia were at the base of diplomatic meetings between Congolese and Zambian authorities in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, but no result has been achieved for these Zambian armed forces to leave Congolese soil." Everyone is stand bye. The reality is that the Zambian military are still on the side of Kibanga over there. This even justifies the presence of several military members in the of Territory, which has become an operational zone for them. The inhabitants of there look in earthenware dogs there " regrets provincial deputy Alexis Katempa.
Since the start of the clash in the game, some civil society organizations have been violating serious violations of international humanitarian law following the destruction of schools, and hospitals by Zambian reds. This has caused massive movements from local people to other areas.
According to an on-site source, " Kinshasa's silence on this foray remains a tree that hides the forest. Congolese citizens are not so informed about this foray that is taking such a great magnitude. The country is leaving. The DRC faces two wars, one against the Covid-19, and the other against Zambia. But only the evolution of a war is informed to the Congolese, the one against the Covid-19 ".
" No police and Congolese armed forces in the lands conquered by the Zambian military forces. This means that the country is already cut off without the other Congolese knowing. Zambian military patrolling in several quarters here in Moliro " worries a citizen of Moliro.
It should be noted that the Zambian forces on 20 March made an foray into the villages of Muliro, Kibanga, and Kalubamba by pushing the Congolese army away. Until this moment the Zambian flag floats on Congolese soil.

The LUCHA Nyamilima has just turned into an armed group and carries out operations with the Mai-Mai AFRC" (Army)

"The LUCHA Nyamilima has just turned into an armed group and carries out operations with the Mai-Mai AFRC" (Army)
04/05/2020

According to our sources,the Congolese army accuses the citizen movement Fight for Change (LUCHA), section of Nyamilima in the territory of Rutshuru (North Kivu) of participating in unintentional actions to destabilize the region.
In a statement made public this Monday, May 2020, 4, the command of operations Good 2 North Kivu says that since mid-January, the pro-democracy movement has been taking action with Mai-Mai AFRC tailings, actions that have cost the lives of Congolese soldiers.
" It is with regret that the operating sector Good 2 has just noticed that the movement has just become an armed group and is now carrying out operations together with the residues armed group. From 20 January until 2 May 2020, the Nyamilima, in complicity with the AFRC, organized actions against FARDC. During these attacks, FARDC lost 2 AK47 weapons and 2 military ", it is read in this document with the signing of brigade General Yamba Kabangu Willy, Commander a. i of the operating sector Good 2 North Kivu.
The Armed Forces say they take witness to the Congolese community and ask the militants of the LUCHA Nyamilima to "return to common sense to avoid taking all the consequences".
...... wait for more information about this issue as our team is keenly putting the eye on it.....

6 killed in lubumbashi

Six (6) people killed, several injured and more than 38 houses in the night from Sunday to Monday, May 2020, 4, this is the record of the rogue s' foray into several areas of the city of Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga). Information is reported on local civil society.
She explains that these armed bandits popped up in the area around 23 local hours. The target areas are in particular Kilobelobe and the municipality annex.
The civil society framework of Haut-Katanga also says that the attackers have vandalized several houses and even kidnapped a child "without being worried".
" It was around 23 p. m the presence of these highly armed criminals. We alerted the police. But the latter dragged the steps ", outraged Bertrand Kloz, a civil society actor.
It should be noted that investigations are already underway to identify those responsible for these packages.

COVID19 may leave USA's assumed superpowership in doubt,A new world order may see CHINA as the new super power!

The unfolding global health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is profoundly changing the world order built under the auspices of the United States after World War II, claim journalists in an editorial for Le Monde.
In a series of investigations, writes the outlet, it has probed the geopolitical faults laid bare by the epidemic and its fallout for economies and populations.
As they ponder whether the dynamics at work stem from an acceleration of pre-existing trends or from a radical paradigm shift in the context of the pandemic, they believe a transformation of the geopolitical environment is already underway.
While we still do not know just how hazardous and how protracted the health crisis will be, they write, it is already possible, at this stage, to draw certain lessons from the shock inflicted by COVID-19 on the prevailing world order.
Dramatic Rise of China
Firstly, claim the authors, the already-fragile international order moulded after the Second World War has shown itself to be no longer adapted to the reality of the 21 century’s balance of power, which has witnessed a dramatic rise of China as a key player on the arena.
The end of the Cold War, the dissolution of the USSR and China’s heightened role gradually unbalanced a world order that hinged on American-Soviet duality, writes the editorial. This bipolar order was succeeded by a multipolar disorder, which over time began to increasingly fail to accommodate what was in reality a multilateral mode of global governance.
The delay with which the World Health Organisation alerted the international community to the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted Beijing's “leverage” over this institution, with the WHO’s “deference to China” widely criticised amid mutual accusations hurtled between Washington and Beijing regarding transparency over the origins of the disease.
The journalists of Le Monde deplore the exacerbated rivalry between China and the United States against the backdrop of the pandemic, as more energy is channelled into mutual confrontation than efforts to better manage the health crisis.
Meanwhile, they claim that China has been savvy in moving quickly to fill a void left by the US, as the latter repudiates its previous leadership role in international organisations.

President Donald Trump had to be asked to agree to participate, by videoconference, in international meetings he should have chaired, writes Le Monde, with the gatherings subsequently failing to produce results. At the UN, the Security Council is, in fact, paralysed, they add.
Failed Solidary
The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with the unity of Europe, as the union failed to display solidarity towards the most affected member states, as was the case with Italy, writes the publication.
With lockdowns and shut borders legislated in an effort to slow the spread of the epidemic, the selfishness of the member states endangered two pillars of the European Union: the Schengen area and the single market.

Abandoned by the United States, coveted by China, and in a “chilly” relationship with Russia, conclude the authors, Europe still believes in multilateralism. But if it wants to influence the development of a fairer and more secure post-crisis world order, it must start by resolutely organising its own economic reconstruction, in a solidarity effort.
US, China Trade Insults
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads unabated, Washington and Beijing have been
trading mutual accusations , with US President Donald Trump criticising China for its allegedly poor handling of the health crisis, accusing it of concealing vital data about the pandemic during its initial stage and ordering an investigation into reports that the virus had been caused by an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In April, Trump halted US funding to the WHO, claiming the international body had covered up the spread of the infection after it was first reported in China.
China had vehemently rejected all accusations levelled against it, stressing that it has been transparent while reporting on the coronavirus pandemic.
European Tensions
The pandemic has also highlighted divisions within European structures, deepening existing tensions between the hardest-hit southern nations, such as Italy and Spain, and the financially stronger north.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen extended a “heartfelt apology” to Italy on 16 April, as many Italians have been angry at the perceived lack of help they received from the EU in the early days of the outbreak in March, with states slow to send extra supplies of masks and other PPE equipment to the country.
Speaking at a debate in the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen said that "too many were not there on time when Italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning", admitting the continent’s worst-affected country had been ignored by its neighbours.
“We need truth about everything, about our own actions,” said von der Leyen, while claiming that “Europe has now become the world’s beating heart of solidarity”, underscoring joint efforts by EU institutions and member states to distribute medical equipment, and hammer out agreements on financing recovery.

Is it true that Rwandese army is in North kivu and south Kivu?

"Presence of Rwandan military" in eastern DRC: decryption of the silence of F. Tshisekedi and ambiguous words from J. Makelele Makelele
May 3, 2020
For weeks, months, despite the continuing rumors of the presence of Rwandan military in the provinces of North and South Kivu, the people of these lands have been waiting for the reaction of the DRC from above. Recently, some have even mentioned the "invasion" of Congolese territory by the Rwandan army. Kinshasa stayed inaudible. Or almost.
" With respect to the security situation following the restrictions taken following the proclamation of the state of health emergency, the Head of State invited the Government and all the services concerned to double vigilance, both inside and at our borders, to prevent any attempt to disturb public order and illegal foray into our territory whose borders remain closed to the passage of people. " (Report of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of 17 April 2020). " Underground Incursion ": from where? Who is he referring to? We won't know any more. Unfortunately. Something to exacerbate.
The "investigation" that finally makes it react...
In these Meanwhile, Sonia Rolley publishes the results of her "investigation" of the alleged presence of the Rwandan army in both Kivu. A careful reading of this "survey" is enough to identify methodological weaknesses. That doesn't matter. In the background, what about the advanced facts? In Kinshasa, as if a instructions were given, it is indifference or what is similar to it. Contact by RFI, to give the official version, the Minister of Communication and Media, Government spokesperson, jolino Makelele, wants to be almost silent.
Better late than never. On 30 April 2020, the authorized voice of the Government explains on Top Congo radio: " There are no foreign troops in the proper sense of the term, that is, an organized army that comes with targeted well determined on Congolese soil ", he said. And to continue: " We can find ourselves in the face of elements of foreign troops, but there is no confirmation that these troops are indeed neighbours and that they have come with a clear mission. So we have to complete our investigations first. "
One thing is to say whether or not there are any Rwandan military in the eastern part of the country. Another to explain the reasons. Either Rwandan troops have been invited. Either they crossed the national border without being invited by the Congolese State. This would be a violation of territorial integrity, or even an act of aggression. We understand the discomfort in the Makelele's speech. "Not all truth is good to say".
One doubt: the words of the Government's spokesperson have not calmed the minds of the millions of Congolese people forced to drink until the bond of security problems in the eastern part of the country. On the contrary. Because, a few days earlier, on April 27, Paul Kagame said that " There is not a single soldier of the Rwandan Defense Forces who went to this territory.
Not a single one. The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo knows the facts. He knows that the Rwandan Defense Forces are not out there. ". If it is true that the Congolese Government " knows it ", why doesn't he explain it easily and quickly to crush the rumors and Turn off the counter-truths?
We expected the reaction of President Tshisekedi, new ally of Paul Kagame. In vain. To this day. Under the leadership of the two leaders, the DRC and Rwanda resumed their military cooperation last year.
As such, " We also gave information to the Congolese government and they started to act on the basis of some of the information we gave them, because they had the opportunity to check it and see what grew in the North Kivu. And they started operations against these groups such as FDLR and others, because they have multiple names ", added the President of Rwanda on 27 April. From sharing military intelligence to participating in operations, there is no ten thousand steps.
Two hypotheses...
Two hypotheses about the silence of President Tshisekedi and the ambiguous words of jolino Makelele. Either Congolese intelligence services have a lack of speed in the collection, ranking, processing and transmission of data to the decision maker on the security situation in the eastern part of the country.
Either this data has indeed been passed on to the decision maker whose confusion would be the basis of the aphonia and the ambiguity of the executive authority. The second hypothesis seems more likely to me. Because explicit recognition of the presence of Rwandan troops in Kivu or not to admit it clearly would not be without negative consequences for the Head of State.
To admit the presence of the Rwandan troops requires clarification of the Agreement between the two countries. Problem: the President of the Republic will have to prove that this matter is being submitted to the Council of Ministers and brought to the attention of both houses of Parliament. What reality is insane.
In addition, in view of the UN Security Council's sanctions regime to combat the institutionalization of armed violence in the DRC, the Congolese Government is required to notify the UN Sanctions Committee in advance of " arms delivery and related material, or to the provision of assistance or staff " (Resolution 2293, para. 3, point d of the United Nations Security Council).
Kinshasa is thus required to be transparent. In this connection, the's Non-aggression and mutual defence protocol provides: " Member States shall promote and strengthen their mutual defence by creating a climate of trust and good faith between themselves and their peoples through policy making, measures and mechanisms to strengthen good-neighborhood relations and multisectoral cooperation. " (Article 6 (5)).
This requires giving or procrastinating information to people and dialogue with them on facts that they can observe directly and understand without a sudden difficulty. Unfortunately, neither silence nor ambiguity contribute to the trust of Congolese people in the official speech on the presence of Rwandan military in the eastern DRC.
On the other hand, not specifically recognize the presence of Rwandan military in Kivu, it is, for the President of the Republic, exposing himself to the perseverance of the historical truth. Indeed, the United Nations Group of Experts on the DRC is expected to submit to the UN Security Council by 15 June 2020 its final report of investigations launched in August 2019 under the Resolution 2478 of 26 June 2019.
In its mid-term report to the Security Council in December 2019, the group of experts reported, among other things, the presence of Burundian troops in South Kivu. This, by waving the evidence provided by the Congolese side.

A novel approach to hacking can allow cybercriminals to exploit biometric identifiers such as voices and faces along with device identifiers to steal information and pinpoint a user's location,

A novel approach to hacking can allow cybercriminals to exploit biometric identifiers such as voices and faces along with device identifiers to steal information and pinpoint a user's location, it was revealed in a study.
Devices such as smartphones and internet-of-things (IoT) devices could allow cybercriminals to identify people using a combination of biometric and WiFi MAC addresses, to expose up to 70 percent of device identifiers, according to a new study.
The study " Nowhere to Hide: Cross-modal Identity Leakage between Biometrics and Devices", was researched by academics from New York University, University of Liverpool, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and University at Buffalo SUNY. Findings were presented at the Web Conference 2020 in Taipei last week.
— Sophia McCavanaugh (@SMcCavanaugh) April 28, 2020
"The attacker can be either insider like co-workers who share the same office with victims or outsiders who use their laptops to eavesdrop random victims in a coffee shop. So launching such an attack is not difficult, considering multi-modal IoT devices are very small and can be disguised well, like a spy camera with Wi-Fi sniffing function. All in all, there is little setup effort on the side of the attacker," University of Liverpool assistant professor, Chris Xiaoxuan Lu,
told The Hacker News .
Researchers used a Raspberry Pi with an audio recorder, 8 megapixel camera and WiFi device capable of detecting device IDs on WiFi networks. The experiment determined that such devices could find individuals within a crowd of people.
— Norton (@Norton) January 22, 2020
Using encryption programmes like virtual private networks (VPNs) can help while working in public spaces, but strong countermeasures were needed, the researchers added.
"Avoid connecting Wi-Fi to public wireless networks as it leaves your underlying Wi-Fi MAC address exposed. Don't allow multi-modal IoT devices (such as smart doorbell or voice assistants) to monitor you 24/7, because they send data back to third parties with no transparency to you, and they can be easily hacked and can compromise your ID in multiple dimensions," Xiaoxuan Lu said.
The news comes after a survey conducted in 2019 revealed that 7 out of 10 organisations had reported successful or attempted system breaches to IoT devices, with the survey probing the opinions of 540 IT professionals on network security, revealing that organisations lacked confidence in network security and underestimated insider threats.
European firms adopting IoT devices has almost reached levels in North America, with 83 percent in the former deploying such tools compared to 85 percent compared to the latter, the survey found.

Two Rifle Manufacturing firms will compete for each order of a more than $383 million US Army contract to provide M16A4 rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon, and Nepal

FN America and Colt's Manufacturing will compete for each order of a more than $383 million US Army contract to provide M16A4 rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon, and Nepal, the Department of Defence said in a press release.
"FN America of Columbia, South Carolina and Colt's Manufacturing Company of West Hartford, Connecticut will compete for each order of the $383,311,941 ...contract to provide M16A4 rifles for Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon, and Nepal)", the release stated on Wednesday.
Fabrique Nationale Herstal, also known as FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer in Belgium and is currently the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe, according to published reports.
Colt's Manufacturing Company is a US firearms manufacturer that traces its origins back to 1836, founded by Samuel Colt.
On 29 April, General Electric Aviation won $707 million for F110 engine production, including installs and spares and modernized engine management system computers. The engines are to be exported to Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and Qatar, according to the US Department of Defence.

US army has wrapped up the final test of its Lockheed Martin next generation long range missiles

Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) has completed its third and final flight demonstration, as the US Army looks to replace its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a weapon possessing a range previously prohibited under the expired Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
“Today’s PrSM test, a highly stressful short-range shot, represents the third successful flight test proving the effectiveness, survivability and reliability of the tactical baseline missile,” Gaylia Campbell, vice president of Precision Fires and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in an April 30 news release from the defense contractor.
The missile was launched out of the Lockheed-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) on Thursday morning at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and was reported to have flown some 85 kilometers to a target area, demonstrating a “highly accurate and lethal warhead event.”
Lockheed’s PrSM was required to complete a variety of tasks during the April 30 test, including those related to the confirmation of flight trajectory, overall missile performance and HIMARS launcher integration.
Thursday’s test was conducted as a demonstration of the next-gen weapon’s short-range capabilities. Previous tests examined the PrSM at target ranges of 240 kilometers and 180 kilometers.
“All objectives were achieved in the third and final flight demonstration as part of the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase of the program,” the release read. “Today's flawless performance follows a highly accurate inaugural flight last December and equally successful March 10 test event.”
Raytheon revealed its exit from the competition for the missile contract in a March 25 company statement, but also noted that solutions had been found to technical issues that previously plagued its entry, dubbed DeepStrike. At the time, Lockheed had completed two successful tests, while Raytheon missed its inaugural test flight in December 2019 and was unable to recover and conduct a demonstration for the Army.
“Although we remain confident in our resolution to the technical issue that delayed our DeepStrike flight test, the Army and Raytheon have mutually come to the decision to conclude our participation in the PrSM Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase,” the defense contractor announced in the
statement provided to Defense News .
Despite Raytheon’s departure leaving Lockheed Martin as the only competitor for the missile contract, the Army has not slated the PrSM for fielding until 2023. Until then, a number of improvements will be made to the base missile developed by Lockheed Martin, which will have capabilities added to enhance its lethality and range - in that order - and additional industry competitions will be held.
Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, the Army’s Long Range Precision Fires cross-functional team director, told Defense News that the PrSM will have to be versatile, as it is expected to be utilized in multiple theaters.
“The early capability is against long-range artillery and integrated air defense systems,” he said “As you integrate the seeker technology, it gives you the ability to go after the mini-targets. Those mini-targets can be maritime in the Pacific; those mini-targets can be fire control radars [and airfields] in the European scenario.”
With the Russia-US INF Treaty no more due to Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement in August 2019, the US is expected to possibly increase the maximum range of the PrSM past the previously prohibited 499-kilometer mark, according to the outlet.
For now, however, the Army is looking at lessening the target range even further in the next flight test to get a better read on the weapon’s performance. Lockheed Martin will proceed with the next phase of the program and conduct another trio of tests once it receives its anticipated contract award from the service.