US Marines fire an M982 Excalibur projectile round from an M777 155mm howitzer during a fire support mission at Fire Base Fiddlers Green. Picture: US Department of Defence
The US army has developed a supergun that has fired an artillery shell over a distance of 70km, hitting a target “on the nose”, which is believed to be the longest precision-guided cannon shot in history.
“I don’t think our adversaries have the ability to hit a target on the nose at 43 miles,” Brigadier-General John Rafferty, in command of the artillery development project, said.
Reaching the 70km mark was the primary objective of what is called the extended-range cannon artillery system. The successful hit was recorded at the Yuma Proving Ground firing range in Arizona. A previous test, in March, had managed 65km.
As with “stand-off” air-launched missiles, the aim of the project has been to develop an artillery piece that can hit enemy positions from well beyond the range of retaliatory strikes.
The army is trialling a new guided artillery shell called Excalibur S, designed by the defence company Raytheon, that can use GPS to change course and a laser seeker device to hit a moving target. The US navy is also testing the new shell.
The key to developing this latest system has been to make sure the shell can survive the intense pressure from the launch and reach its target without damage to its guidance mechanisms.
Two tests on the same day had already failed. The first fell short of the target because of a strong wind and the second suffered a malfunction. But the third test was, as the general said, “on the nose”.what is called the extended-range cannon artillery system. The successful hit was recorded at the Yuma Proving Ground firing range in Arizona. A previous test, in March, had managed 65km.
As with “stand-off” air-launched missiles, the aim of the project has been to develop an artillery piece that can hit enemy positions from well beyond the range of retaliatory strikes.
The army is trialling a new guided artillery shell called Excalibur S, designed by the defence company Raytheon, that can use GPS to change course and a laser seeker device to hit a moving target. The US navy is also testing the new shell.
The key to developing this latest system has been to make sure the shell can survive the intense pressure from the launch and reach its target without damage to its guidance mechanisms. Two tests on the same day had already failed. The first fell short of the target because of a strong wind and the second suffered a malfunction. But the third test was, as the general said, “on the nose”.
