the u.s army last year fired two 155  millimeter diameter howitzer shells  

out to a distance of 40 miles the test  shots at yuma proving ground in arizona  

on march 6 2020 signal the beginning of  a major overhaul of the army's artillery  

the ground combat branch is spending billions  of dollars extending the firing range of its  

howitzers and rocket launchers while also  developing new long-range rockets all in an  

effort to match nxe the artillery capabilities  of rivals such as russia the army's current  

howitzers the toad m777 and the self-propelled  m109 fire just 14 miles with normal shells and  

19 miles with rocket assisted shells russian  howitzers already can shoot as far as 43 miles  

the army during the 2000s lagged behind  its major rivals in artillery development  

that changed as china began exerting  more influence in the asia-pacific region  

the change accelerated when russia invaded  ukraine in 2014 the army deployed back to  

europe two battalions of rocket launchers that  it previously had withdrawn from the continent  

the howitzer that took the 40-mile shots  in arizona was one of the army's prototype  

extended range cannon artillery systems the erca  combined the latest m109 a7 chassis with a new 30  

feet long gun the army expects to field the  first 18 of the farther firing guns in 2023  

the yuma test involved two different shell  types an excalibur gps guided shell and an  

m11 13 rocket assisted projectile the m1113  which is slated to enter the regular force  

in the next couple of years extends the firing  range of older m 777s and m 109s to 24 miles  

a new ramjit propelled shell that a norwegian firm  is developing further could boost the erca's range  

out to 60 or even 80 miles the erca is the first  in a series of new long-range weapons for the army  

the service also is developing new rockets for  its wheeled high mobility artillery rocket system  

and tracked multiple launch rocket system the  current standard guided multiple launch rocket  

system rocket flies as far as 43 miles a new  extended range version of the gmlrs flies more  

than twice as far the current large diameter army  tactical missile system which also is compatible  

with mars and mlrs has a maximum range of  186 miles the new lighter precision strike  

missile due to enter service in 2023 boasts a  310 mile max range the army also is studying a  

concept for a gigantic new truck towed cannon  that could fire shells as far as 1000 miles  

while larger in scale than any existing  artillery piece the strategic long-range  

cannon doesn't actually require much in the way of  new technology colonel john rafferty who in 2018  

led the army's long-range buyers modernization  effort told breaking defense the ground combat  

branch also is working with the navy to  develop a common hypersonic glide vehicle  

which would launch atop a rocket then travel 1400  miles or farther at a top speed exceeding mach 5.  

the erca is a tactical weapon that's most  suitable for directly supporting nearby forces  

farther firing to mars and mlrs launchers give  the army some ability to hit enemy forces well  

behind the front line the conceptual thousand mile  cannon and the in development hypersonic missile  

by contrast could allow the army to  strike targets such as staging bases  

logistical networks and air bases targets  that before were the sole responsibility of  

air force and navy planes and missiles targeting  could pose a problem for these faraway targets  

according to breaking defense the army is working  on artificial intelligence and wireless networks  

so its howitzers and rocket launchers can receive  target coordinates from the services owned drones  

as well as from drones spy planes and satellites  belonging to the other armed services the u.s army  

last year fired two 155 millimeter diameter  howitzer shells out to a distance of 40 miles  

the test shots at yuma proving ground in arizona  on march 6 2020 signal the beginning of a major  

overhaul of the army's artillery the ground combat  branch is spending billions of dollars extending  

the firing range of its howitzers and rocket  launchers while also developing new long-range  

rockets all in an effort to match then exceed the  artillery capabilities of rivals such as russia  

the army's current howitzers the toad m777 and the  self-propelled m109 fire just 14 miles with normal  

shells and 19 miles with rocket-assisted shells  russian howitzers already can shoot as far as 43  

miles the army during the 2000s lagged behind  its major rivals in artillery development  

that changed as china began exerting  more influence in the asia-pacific region  

the change accelerated when russia invaded  ukraine in 2014 the army deployed back to  

europe two battalions of rocket launchers that it  previously had withdrawn from the continent the  

howitzer that took the 40-mile shots in arizona  was one of the army's prototype extended range  

cannon artillery systems the erca combined the  latest m109 a7 chassis with a new 30 feet long gun  

the army expects to field the first 18 of  the farther firing guns in 2023 the yuma test  

involved two different shell types an excalibur  gps guided shell and an m11 13 rocket assisted  

projectile the m1113 which is slated to enter  the regular force in the next couple of years  

extends the firing range of older m 777s and m  109s to 24 miles a new ramjet propelled shell  

that a norwegian firm is developing further could  boost the erca's range out to 60 or even 80 miles  

the erca is the first in a series of new  long-range weapons for the army the service  

also is developing new rockets for its wheeled  high mobility artillery rocket system and tracked  

multiple launch rocket system the current standard  guided multiple launch rocket system rocket flies  

as far as 43 miles a new extended range version  of the gmlrs flies more than twice as far  

the current large diameter  army tactical missile system  

which also is compatible with hamar's  and mlrs has a maximum range of 186 miles  

the new lighter precision strike missile due to  enter service in 2023 boasts a 310 mile max range  

the army also is studying a concept for a gigantic  new truck towed cannon that could fire shells as  

far as 1 000 miles while larger in scale than any  existing artillery piece the strategic long-range  

cannon doesn't actually require much in the  way of new technology colonel john rafferty  

who in 2018 led the army's long-range fires  modernization effort told breaking defense

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