The new “Joint Reduced Range Rocket” will be used to train US Army crews in place of far more expensive—and dangerous—rocket munitions.

RTX subsidiary Raytheon is developing the Joint Reduced Range Rocket (JR3) as a low-cost, reusable training rocket system for the United States Army to replace the legacy Reduced Range Practice Rocket (RRPR). The company has announced the successful third test flight of the DeepStrike JR3 at the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, where it highlighted the system’s “reliability, affordability and readiness.”

During the tests, US Army engineers fired multiple JR3 rounds, studying multiple attributes of the new training platform—notably its “launch pod container reusability and maintainability, range, trajectory, accuracy and visibility” during live-fire and training exercises.

The reusable and maintainable launch pod container can hold up to 24 rockets. It was also designed to be compatible with the same platforms and systems as the Lockheed Martin-developed RRPR, including the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) family of munitions pod, such as the HIMARS and M270 launchers.

“DeepStrike JR3 meets the performance the Army expects from a training rocket while driving down cost and complexity,” said Brian Burton, vice president of Precision Fires & Maneuver at Raytheon. “By pairing a reusable pod with an affordable rocket, we’re giving the Army a modern, sustainable way to train.”

How Did Raytheon Build the JR3 So Fast?

Raytheon developed the JR3 through a rapid prototyping initiative that supported the US Army’s requirements for a replacement training rocket. The company noted that to “drive speed, dependability, cost efficiency and future production rates,” it had worked with a team of established industry partners—as well as non‑traditional suppliers including Combined Systems Inc., Corvid Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, and Northrop Grumman. Raytheon also worked with the government-owned Letterkenny Munitions Center.

The efforts accelerated production while reducing overall costs.

Additional flight tests will serve to demonstrate the JR3’s design maturity ahead of the required qualification.

Why the US Army Uses Specialized Practice Rockets

The origins of “practice rockets” date back more than 80 years, to World War II, when the United States Army introduced its M1 Rocket Launcher, more commonly known as the “bazooka.” Training with the live M6 High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) round from the outset was deemed unsafe, so the US Army quickly developed the M7 practice round, which allowed troops to practice loading, aiming, and even firing without the high cost and explosive danger of the live round.

As mobile rocket systems evolved, the United States military developed subcaliber and ballasted practice trainers to maintain realistic ballistics while also limiting range and impact hazards. In 1993, the United States Army adopted the M28A2 RRPR for its artillery systems.

Practice rockets are “live rounds,” in the sense that they still have propellant and will fire if launched. However, unlike the real thing, practice rockets have drastically reduced range, typically capping out at roughly 9 miles (15 km). This is enough to allow artillery units to conduct live-fire training at standard domestic and international military ranges without needing massive safety templates. The training rockets are used for crew qualifications, annual certifications, and pre-deployment exercises.

The RRPR was developed with an inert/ballasted payload section, smoke-marking containers, and a blunt nose cone that induces aerodynamic drag to shorten the flight path. The JR3 will offer similar attributes; as with other training rockets, it will also significantly cut down on hardware costs and preserve the US military’s precarious stockpile of live rounds, which has been seriously depleted by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Production is expected to begin after the tests and qualification are completed, and is currently on track for around 2028.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. He has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism, including Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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