Tuesday, December 22, 2020

U.S. Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery Scores A Direct Hit On A Target 43 Miles Away

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground conducts developmental testing of multiple facets of the Extended Range Cannon Artillery project, from artillery shells to the longer cannon tube and larger firing chamber the improved howitzer will need to accommodate them. (Army) 


WASHINGTON — The Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system under development hit a target 43 miles away — or 70 kilometers — on the nose at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Dec. 19, using an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell, according to the general who is overseeing the service’s Long-Range Precision Fires modernization. 

“I don’t think our adversaries have the ability to hit a target on the nose at 43 miles,” Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, who is in charge of the effort, told a small group of reporters in a teleconference immediately following the test. 

The Army is racing to extend artillery ranges on the battlefield to take away advantages of high-end adversaries like Russia. 

The ERCA cannon, when fielded, should be able to fire and take out targets from a position out of the range of enemy systems. 


WNU Editor: I think hitting a target 43 miles away is impressive. But some experts believe the US Army still needs to improve their artillery capabilities .... Does the U.S. Army Have Long-Range Fire Problem? (National Interest).

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