US Army Is Developing New Cannon with 70 Km Target Range

The new Self-Propelled Howitzer is built with a more capable, larger chassis, designed as an initial step toward building a next-generation cannon able to outgun existing Russian weapons

US Army Is Developing New Cannon with 70 Km Target Range

BAE Systems

The United States Army is starting production on a new Self-Propelled Howitzer cannon, according to Interesting Engineering. BAE Systems has been awarded a $1.7 billion contract to build the full-rate production version of the M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer and companion M992A3 ammunition carrier vehicles. The new cannon and vehicle are thought to be part of an ammunition upgrade for the Army with the aim of equipping it with more deadly firepower than the existing Russian Federation artillery.

"Right now we have the 39 caliber cannon we have had since the 80s. We are range limited, and the Russians can outgun us and shoot farther," Maj. Gen. David Bassett, former Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, said last Fall at the service’s AUSA annual symposium. "If you had not replaced the chassis first, you would never be able to put that larger cannon on there." A self-propelled Howitzer able to hit 70-kilometers puts the weapon on par with advanced land-based rockets such as the MLRS, claims Warrior Maven.

As part of maintenance, life-cycle, and service extension, the new Howitzer is built with an engine and other parts common to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and emerging Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle. A senior Army official told Warrior Maven that improved combat connectivity could enable multiple Howitzers to quickly share firing data, as part of a broader effort to expand battlefield networking and operate in more dispersed formations depending upon mission requirements.

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