MOSCOW, March 20, Andrey Igorev.In February, the FARA high-speed reconnaissance and attack helicopter project went under the knife, and in March the Pentagon abandoned a new self-propelled long-range howitzer. Having analyzed the experience of the conflict in Ukraine, they realized that it simply could not withstand the pace of modern military operations. About what the Americans did not like about the promising self-propelled gun and what will replace it, read in the material .
«Cardboard» barrel
The ERCA (Enhanced Range Cannon Artillery) program was launched in 2019, and the very next year the experimental XM1299 self-propelled gun hit a target at a record distance for American howitzers of 65 kilometers. The experimental self-propelled gun is an XM907 cannon with a 58-caliber barrel length, mounted on an M109A7 Paladin chassis. It is known that one of the prototypes was equipped with the XM907E2 gun. During tests in December 2022, it was able to fire an experienced XM1155 guided projectile at a distance of 110 kilometers.
Another innovation of the ERCA howitzer is the automatic loader. It appeared on the Paladins only in 2012, with the adoption of the A7 modification. It was expected that the rate of fire of the promising self-propelled gun would reach ten rounds per minute. In addition, integration with reconnaissance and fire contours was planned, for which specialized drones were developed. The self-propelled gun turned out to be high-tech, accurate, and long-range. And absolutely unsuitable in modern warfare.
Tests of a batch of 18 vehicles showed that the weapon is very short-lived. According to Pentagon procurement chief Doug Bush, the main reason for the cancellation of the program was a number of engineering problems, in particular, the extremely low survivability of the barrel. Artillerymen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighting on German self-propelled guns PZH 2000 faced this problem: the resource of their barrels is also exhausted very quickly.
In 2019, at the start of the ERCA program, the US Army relied on the experience of low-intensity conflicts with low ammunition consumption. In Ukraine, it turned out that in addition to the range and accuracy of fire, the ability to fire for a long time is extremely important. The Pentagon added one more thing to the previous requirements — the survivability of components and their increased service life.
The Americans are going to look for a replacement for their battered M109 Paladin self-propelled gun, which has been in service since 1963, from NATO allies, who have advanced much further in artillery. In particular, thanks to systems such as the aforementioned German PZH 2000, the British AS-90 Braveheart or the French CAESAR.
«Golden» prototype
Back in the late 1980s, specialists from the General Dynamics concern began developing a promising vehicle, which in 1994 received the designation XM2001 Crusader. The designers were faced with the task of creating a mobile, efficient and long-range self-propelled gun superior to the M109A6. We used the most advanced technologies. The crew's workplaces were equipped with a complex of radio-electronic and navigation equipment, calculating aiming angles, monitoring the condition of vehicle components, and so on.
An automatic loader was also provided. The automated stowage of the fighting compartment housed 48 projectiles of various types and 208 propellant charge modules. Rate of fire — ten rounds per minute. In the «burst of fire» mode, the self-propelled gun fired eight shells in a row. With high-explosive fragmentation, the range reached 40 kilometers. In addition, it was planned to include an Excalibur guided projectile in the ammunition load, which would hit targets at a distance of up to 57 kilometers. The project was estimated at 11 billion dollars.
The first prototype was tested at the end of 1999 and fully confirmed the calculated characteristics. They wanted to put the Crusader into service by 2008, but in May 2002 the Pentagon closed the program due to excessive cost. The fact is that each of the serial XM2001 self-propelled guns would cost the treasury $25 million. For comparison: the PZH 2000, only slightly inferior to the Crusader, cost about 4.5 million in those years.
Forgot how to build
Another promising self-propelled gun, the XM1203 NLOS Cannon, became part of the large-scale Future Combat Systems program to rearm the US Ground Forces. The main difference between this self-propelled gun and the M109A6 is its significantly lower weight, 18 tons versus 32, which simplifies transportation by air. Hybrid power plant, lightweight barrel and bolt, more effective muzzle brake, removable ceramic armor, active protection system, modular powder charges and laser ignition system, automatic loader. Of course, the most advanced electronic equipment and high automation: the crew is only two people.
However, in 2009, this program was also closed due to changes in defense strategy. The Pentagon did not then consider the possibility of massive use of artillery in long-term, high-intensity conflicts. They decided to increase firepower through further modernization of the veteran M109 self-propelled guns. As the negative experience of the ERCA program has shown, this path is also a dead end.
In the conditions of modern war, “golden” howitzers costing tens of millions of dollars with barrels that break after a thousand shots are an unaffordable luxury even for the huge American military budget. In addition, Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has proven that today even the maximum range of such weapons is not enough to protect the installation and crew from a strike from a much cheaper and more accurate kamikaze drone.