The U.S. Army is changing its approach to acquiring a long-range artillery capability by scrapping its 58-caliber Extended Range Cannon Artillery prototyping effort. The new plan involves evaluating existing options from industry following an exhaustive tactical fires study conducted by Army Futures Command. Of the 24 new Army systems slated for deployment by the end of 2023, only the Extended Range Cannon Artillery program missed that goal due to engineering challenges.
Army Futures Command leader Gen. James Rainey mentioned last summer that a new conventional fires strategy is in development to enhance conventional fires on the battlefield. Despite the setbacks in the ERCA program, the Army is still aiming to extend artillery ranges to counter high-end adversaries like Russia and China. The goal is to find existing systems capable of meeting the extended-range cannon requirement.
The Army is requesting $55 million in its FY25 budget to pursue the new effort to find an extended-range cannon capability. The service also plans to continue developing new munitions as part of the ERCA program. The emphasis is now on working with what is available domestically and internationally to achieve the desired range and volume required on the battlefield.
