Doug Bush, Deputy Secretary of the US Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, stated that the US Army has stopped further development of the advanced 155mm/58 calibre self-propelled howitzer M1299 under the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) programme.
His comments were published in “Defense News” on March 8, 2024, “We completed the prototype testing phase last fall,” Doug Bush stated on March 8 at a briefing for journalists on the US Army’s budget project for the fiscal year 2025. “Unfortunately, [it was] not successful enough to proceed directly to production.”
According to the new plan, the US Army Futures Command will conduct a “comprehensive” study of prospective tactical fire systems this summer to validate requirements for artillery system range elements, followed by an assessment of existing industry-proposed options “to gauge the maturity of these systems.”
Doug Bush indicated a year ago that the extended ERCA testing had uncovered “engineering difficulties,” which were particularly troubling. Observations during early prototype trials revealed severe gun barrel wear even after firing a small number of bullets.
In the summer of 2023, General James Rainey, chief of the US Army Futures Command, told Defence News that the Army was developing a new conventional firing strategy that would be ready by the end of the year. According to Rainey, the plan will describe both the capabilities and possibilities of what already exists and what the US Army may require. According to Bush, based on the results of this plan, the US Army may consider various options to address the demand for long-range artillery systems.
The US Army conducted several successful ERCA prototype trials, including hitting a target at 70 kilometres (43 miles) at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona in December 2020 using the Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell. The gun’s issues are mostly connected to its barrel length and ability to sustain numerous bullets without significant wear.
There are plans to analyse and test modern artillery systems. According to Bush, if one shows promise, the US Army will choose it for manufacturing.
It’s a transition from creating something new to using what’s available both domestically and internationally to get the desired variety, he added. “As the fires study has confirmed, range and lethality are still required, so we want to find another way to achieve the goal.”
Bush stated that the US Army has requested $55 million from its budget for fiscal year 2025 to continue its hunt for extended-range artillery systems. The Army intends to continue developing new munitions under the ERCA programme.
