Kamal Ghorui
The United States’ newly developed missiles marked the opening salvo of the long-anticipated war campaign against Iran, launched under Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury on February 28. On the very first day, US-made ballistic missiles struck a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school near a military facility in Lamerd, southern Iran, killing at least 21 people, according to a New York Times report.With the launch of the operation, Washington placed the length and breadth of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led Islamic Republic within its crosshairs, carrying out a sweeping offensive in coordination with close ally Israel.In a separate strike in Minrab, Tomahawk cruise missiles hit a school, leaving 175 people dead. But the Lamerd attack stood out for another reason: it involved a weapon that was neither part of the US military’s traditional arsenal nor previously tested in combat, underscoring a new and uncertain phase in the conflict.
The New York Times verified multiple videos capturing two strikes in Lamerd, along with footage of their aftermath. Analysis by its reporters and munitions experts found that the weapon’s features, explosion patterns and resulting damage were consistent with a short-range ballistic missile known as the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM—pronounced “prism.”The PrSM is estimated to cost between $1.6 million and over $3.5 million per unit, depending on production scale. In its fiscal 2026 budget request, the US army sought funding to procure just 45 of these missiles.
PrSM’s design and impact under scrutiny
The missile is designed to detonate just above its target, dispersing small tungsten pellets over a wide area.One video, filmed in a residential neighbourhood roughly 900 feet from the sports hall and adjacent school, shows the missile in flight. Its distinctive silhouette closely matches that of the PrSM before it erupts into a large midair fireball. Another clip, captured by a security camera positioned directly across from the sports hall, shows the moment of impact—an explosion occurring just above the structure, even though the incoming missile itself is not visible.Images from the aftermath reveal both sites riddled with small holes, likely caused by the tungsten pellets released upon detonation. Notably, an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) compound is located directly next to the sports hall, though it remains unclear whether it was struck.The PrSM is a relatively new addition to the US arsenal, having completed prototype testing only last year, according to an army release. On March 1, US Central Command shared footage of a PrSM launch from the opening 24 hours of the conflict, and days later, its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, confirmed the missile had been used in combat for the first time—marking its operational debut.
Given the weapon’s novelty, it remains difficult to determine whether the Lamerd strikes were intentional, the result of a technical flaw, or due to errors in target selection.There is also no clear evidence linking the school or sports hall to the nearby IRGC compound. Archival satellite imagery suggests the facilities have been separated by walls for at least 15 years.At the time of the strike, the sports hall was reportedly being used by a women’s volleyball team, according to Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani. Social media posts associated with the school indicate it was regularly used by children. The sports hall has also long been identified as a civilian facility on publicly available mapping platforms.Post-strike visuals show the sports hall bearing scorch marks and a partially collapsed roof, while footage from inside the school reveals shattered windows, fire damage and visible bloodstains.The PrSM is designed to target enemy troops and unarmoured vehicles, with a range more than double that of other missiles currently in the US Army’s arsenal—highlighting both its reach and destructive capability.
