US Army - Lockheed Martin Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF)

Well that ends that idea. Maybe they will revisit when solid fuel ramjet artillery rounds have matured (or at least exist).
 
Slightly off topic, but does anyone know the current organization of US artillery battalions? Specifically how many M109s? Bonus points if you have the TOE for the new independent artillery brigades that will stand up with the ERCA. My understanding is that M109A7 goes to regular units; ERCA is reserved for independent brigades. There already is independent MLRS brigade in Germany I believe; two battalions of two batteries of three 3 launcher platoons, 36 MLRS in total. Was curious if the canons will be organized differently but I'm not even sure how current howitzer were organized.
 
U.S. Army moves on to the next phase of next-gen artillery system program

The HUMVEE 2-CT (M1152 two-door cargo truck) that serves as the mobile platform, will come with a standard 14,100 lb. gross vehicle weight, 205 hp engine, and antilock braking system (ABS).

While the U.S. Army conducts characterization testing of the 2-CT Hawkeye MHS over the next year, AM General and Mandus Group will continue to refine the technology for integration of the soft recoil technology onto other mobile platforms. Scalability is already being tested with a 155mm prototype. The group is also exploring integration onto other existing and future combat systems.

The Hawkeye system was developed onto the HUMVEE 2-CT platform by a collaborative team from AM General and Mandus Group using the M20 cannon from the Army’s M119 Howitzer and adapting a hydro-pneumatic, soft Recoil system.

https://defence-blog.com/u-s-army-moves-on-to-the-next-phase-of-next-gen-artillery-system-program/
https://www.amgeneral.com/am-genera...ogy-to-be-tested-with-the-united-states-army/
 
I could see that system being very useful to airborne or light infantry. I believe a similar mortar based system was supplied to the Syrian Peshmerga; it was capable of accepting coordinates digitally and laying the mortar to allow rapid precision fire. I wonder what the RoF is for that Hawkeye system though...doesn't seem like it could carry much ammo on the vehicle; presumably a second hummer would be the primary ammo supply.

EDIT: apparently max RoF is 8/min, 3 sustained.
 
The folding platforms for the loader/gunner looks to be botched: too small and narrow, metal tends to be slippy and the deployment sequence is slow and done manually. Wouldn't a simple independent collapsible stool do the work better (you can adjust its position in function of terrain topography and your own physiology)?

The retraction time also for the stabilizing rear bars looks too slow (hydraulics). Given that's the main factor preventing the vehicle to move after firing, shouldn't they have put more money here?
Also it lacks a storing box.
 
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TomcatViP said:
The folding platforms for the loader/gunner looks to be botched: too small and narrow, metal tends to be slippy and the deployment sequence is slow and done manually. Wouldn't a simple independent collapsible stool do the work better (you can adjust its position in function of terrain topography and your own physiology)?
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Preface: This is my day job. I haven't work on this system myself But I know those who have and I have work on similer style systems. So this is coming from experience. So have my five cents.

Remember this thing needs to be Private Idiot Snuffy proof. Simple is better here, its literally pull a pin and let it drop. Utterly idiot proof and extremely hard to break. And once you have the training down you can go faster then having it be automatic, not to mention more reliable.

As for the the size the platforms is about 16 inches wide or so with raised metal holes in them. Very similar to metal ladders, construction platforms and the like, generally they give good grip in all but the the worse of weather with boots.

An independent collapsible stool... Is one of those ideas that sounds good in theory but in reality is an utterly stupid one.

Cause it is a lose piece of kit that will end up be left behind at night after 3 days of no sleep or after you start taking fire and are in full run away mode. Or fall off cause its was not secure properly and its not in the middle of nowhere in five different pieces.

So now you are SOL and have lean around the gun on the Humvee itself to do the work, which has from the looks at it has zero room to do so.

Or it just get left in the rear cause it more pain then it worth.

I speak from experience cause I have had all that happen to me at one point or another on other systems.
TomcatViP said:
The retraction time also for the stabilizing rear bars looks too slow (hydraulics). Given that's the main factor preventing the vehicle to move after firing, shouldn't they have put more money here?
Also it lacks a storing box.
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The Hydros can probably be speed up a bit, but that probably a limiting factor of it being on a humvee. Which was design in the early 1980s and was not made with this in mind and is on its way out. So they probably DID the bare minimum amount to get it to work.

But as a soldier I see a few ways to decrease the displacement time. Mainly by keeping the truck running and hitting the raise legs button as soon as I'm done with the fire mission. That probably remove almost 30 seconds off the time.

As for the storage box. It actually does have two.

They are right behind the doors, you can see latches on the side. Right there is where the foot well for the second set of seats be on a four seater humvee, they basically have a bent piece of metal covering it on a hinge in the bed. Pop open the latch and it opens up like gull wing doors. You probably have enough room for the BII, a few MRE boxes, and a water can in them.

BUT...

Lack of storage areas is a fairly major complaint on the Uparmored Humvee. Like I have nowhere to store any amount of bags a person needs to live outside for 3 weeks on the ANTPQ50 radar. Have to strap them to the roof two bring them. Apperantly they fixed that on JLTVs, hopefully when they decide to move this weapon system onto a flatbed JLTV they keep that.
 
https://www.defensenews.com/land/20...ge-precision-strike-missile-starting-in-fy22/
The Army wants to fund ways to extend the range of its Precision Strike Missile – which is still under development – out to 1,000 kilometers or more in fiscal 2022, according to documents accompanying the service’s budget request....

....The Army is also requesting $188.5 million in research and development dollars for PrSM that would support the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program and the integration of the Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM) seeker.
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DbE's Art from Simpleplanes

The 76mm CLGG is well, a CLGG (combustion light gas gun). It is designed to be multi-purpose, as it can act as a long range artillery or air defense weapon that can engage both aircraft and various missiles, even hypersonic weapons and ICBMs. As CLGG tech is, it can fire a projectile at hypersonic velocity.
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