HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army’s recently completed conventional fires study determined that the service should focus on more autonomous artillery systems with longer range and improved mobility, the head of the Army Futures Command said Wednesday.
Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army World Symposium here, Gen. James Rainey said the Army will achieve these improvements by integrating robotics into systems, improving artillery rounds and pursuing readily available mobile shell options.
The agency began work last year on a study of conventional fires intended to lead to a new strategy. Rainey said at that time the review will look at existing capability and capacity and the Army’s future needs. It was also to evaluate new technology to augment conventional battlefield fires, such as advances in propellant that make it possible to fire medium-range guns up to longer-range systems.
The study has already affected one program. The Army, having also conducted a prototyping effort for an extended-range artillery system, concluded that the platform was not the right approach.
The agency plans to focus instead on extending the range of current artillery systems with innovative munitions still under development as part of the ERCA program, Rainey said.
“We are in a resource-constrained environment,” he added. “You can follow an exquisite system or you can take a more holistic approach.”
The Army was able to conduct a variety of successful tests with ERCA prototypes, including hitting a target 70 kilometers or 43 miles away at the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in December 2020 using an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell.
The problems with the gun were mainly related to the length of the gun barrel and its ability to withstand a large number of rounds without excessive wear.
The Army plans to deliver a better armored howitzer, Rainey said. “There’s some great potential out there.”
However, towed howitzers may not have a clear future with the military, he said, adding that “the future is not bright for towed artillery.”
Rainey said he is “very interested autonomous and robotic cannon solutions’ for joint forcible entry formations such as the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
The Army is in pursuit mobile, indirect fire capabilities for light infantry and Stryker formations as well, he noted.
Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist who covers land warfare for Defense News. He has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.
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