Miles Jamison 
- Lockheed Martin conducted a second flight test of its JR3 training rocket
- During the demonstration, multiple JR3 training rounds were launched from a HIMARS
- The test assessed the rounds’ range, trajectory, accuracy and marking payload effects
Lockheed Martin has conducted a second flight test of its Joint Reduced Range Rocket, a training round designed to provide lower-cost live-fire training for U.S. Army and international partners, the global defense technology company announced Friday.
The latest test builds on Lockheed Martin’s August 2025 demonstration of the JR3, when the company introduced the rocket as a potential replacement for the Army’s existing Reduced Range Practice Rocket.
What Did Lockheed Martin Demonstrate?
The company launched multiple JR3 training rounds from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona to validate the rounds’ range, trajectory, accuracy and marking payload effects.
The JR3 is intended to replace the Army’s existing Reduced Range Practice Rocket. Lockheed Martin said the system uses mature rocket motor technology and a modular design with an adaptable payload.
The training system includes a 24-rocket launch pod designed for use with both HIMARS and M270 launchers. The company said the pod’s launch tubes can be reloaded and reused.
The JR3’s compatibility with HIMARS builds on the launcher’s established role in the Army’s long-range precision fires portfolio. Lockheed Martin delivered its 750th HIMARS launcher in November 2025, with the system continuing to receive new munitions such as the Precision Strike Missile and Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System.
How Is the Rocket Designed for Training?
Lockheed Martin said the JR3 is intended to allow launcher crews to conduct higher-volume live-fire exercises on constrained ranges and under different environmental conditions.
Dave Griser, vice president of precision fires rockets at Lockheed Martin, said the 24-round launch pod is designed to support greater training volume while reducing the cost per round.
The JR3 is part of Lockheed Martin’s broader precision-fires portfolio, which also includes the Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. In December 2025, the company conducted a flight test of an ER GMLRS variant with an alternative warhead, with the rocket reaching 112 kilometers from a HIMARS launcher during the test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The company plans to conduct another JR3 flight test later this year to continue validating the system’s performance.
Lockheed Martin also said the JR3 architecture could support future efforts, including the Army’s Direct Support Fires Technology initiative for low-cost, mass-produced direct-fire rockets.
