Photo: BAE Systems
The M109 breed of self-propelled guns is one of the most fearsome the world has ever known. Available to fight battles ever since the early 1960s, it took part in the planet's most high-profile conflicts since, including the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the current fighting taking place in Ukraine.
The M109 is essentially a howitzer, meaning a type of gun meant to fire shells high and slow. It can shoot out its barrel a variety of projectiles, from high-explosive ones to the GPS-guided Excalibur, and that's one of the main reasons it has been kept in operation so long.
Over the years there have been several versions of the weapons platform, starting with the original M109 and ending with the present-day M109A7.
At the time of writing the U.S. Army is looking to increase the range of the howitzer, no matter the version of it we're talking about. That's because to date the greatest distance a guided projectile fired from one of these things was able to reach was 40 km (25 miles). The projectile that managed this is called Excalibur (XM982) and it is made by a consortium led by Raytheon.
This week, however, thanks another defense contractor called BAE Systems (also involved in making the XM982), we learned of the "furthest distance an M109 Paladin has ever fired a guided projectile." The Paladin is the M109A6 version of the howitzer, first fired in 1994. It is also one of the most widespread currently in service.
The guided projectile in question is called XM1155-SC, and it is a relatively new shell that was first put through its paces at the end of last year. It's supposed to target and take out both fixed and moving targets "at more than double the range of existing cannon-launched precision-guided munitions," all while easily penetrating whatever defenses the enemy might have in place.
BAE Systems does not say exactly how far the M109 Paladin-fired round ended up traveling before impacting the target area at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and setting the record. But if the above is to be trusted, and we take the Excalibur as a reference, it could be as far as 80 km (50 miles), and that would be simply amazing.
Tests of the XM1155-SC are poised to continue, as the British defense contractor now has to prove the projectile's navigation, control, networking, and payload systems work as advertised, even at "very long ranges for 155mm projectiles."
When ready, the system will be adaptable to a series of firing platforms. Last year, for instance, it was tested on an Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), and it did its job as expected then as well. Up next is testing the shell with a 52-caliber gun.
Over the years there have been several versions of the weapons platform, starting with the original M109 and ending with the present-day M109A7.
At the time of writing the U.S. Army is looking to increase the range of the howitzer, no matter the version of it we're talking about. That's because to date the greatest distance a guided projectile fired from one of these things was able to reach was 40 km (25 miles). The projectile that managed this is called Excalibur (XM982) and it is made by a consortium led by Raytheon.
This week, however, thanks another defense contractor called BAE Systems (also involved in making the XM982), we learned of the "furthest distance an M109 Paladin has ever fired a guided projectile." The Paladin is the M109A6 version of the howitzer, first fired in 1994. It is also one of the most widespread currently in service.
The guided projectile in question is called XM1155-SC, and it is a relatively new shell that was first put through its paces at the end of last year. It's supposed to target and take out both fixed and moving targets "at more than double the range of existing cannon-launched precision-guided munitions," all while easily penetrating whatever defenses the enemy might have in place.
BAE Systems does not say exactly how far the M109 Paladin-fired round ended up traveling before impacting the target area at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and setting the record. But if the above is to be trusted, and we take the Excalibur as a reference, it could be as far as 80 km (50 miles), and that would be simply amazing.
Tests of the XM1155-SC are poised to continue, as the British defense contractor now has to prove the projectile's navigation, control, networking, and payload systems work as advertised, even at "very long ranges for 155mm projectiles."
When ready, the system will be adaptable to a series of firing platforms. Last year, for instance, it was tested on an Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), and it did its job as expected then as well. Up next is testing the shell with a 52-caliber gun.
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