General Atomics announced the test of its new long-range 155 mm artillery round, Long-Range Manoeuvring Projectile (LRMP), from a M777 towed howitzer.
The new long-range artillery round using pop-up wings to achieve long-range by gliding instead of propulsive assist was tested at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground with a firing from the in-service M777 155 mm L33 howitzer.
LRMP’s development can be traced back to an awarding by the USN for a new extended-range ammunition with a range of 120 km.
Using a combination of GPS, INS, and optical guidance, the round can navigate under GPS degradation using its optical seeker for terrain referencing, similar to cruise missiles. The optical seeker allows for the engagement of both stationary and moving targets.
In summary, 155 mm LRMP can be likened to firing smart glide bombs from existing howitzers, which might enable engagements previously impossible for traditional guided rounds due to the largely ballistic trajectory and GNSS-based guidance.
While the test firing has been performed from a M777 howitzer of considerably short barrel length, longer ranged systems like M109 or other NATO-standard SPGs can also fire the round.
Glide Assist versus Propulsive Assist
So far, most extreme-range solutions for gun artillery have consisted of new types of propulsive assist. Such examples include the two-stage LRLAP for the scrapped 155 mm AGS guns of Zumwalt-class destroyers and recently emerged ramjet-assisted rounds. However, the space taken up by fuel and other propulsive elements impacts the amount of warhead and adds to the costs.
LRMP can be said to have taken a simpler route by employing a high lift geometry with high aspect ratio wings to perform unpowered flight for the said extreme ranges. The absence of a propulsive section can be translated to more space opened up for the warhead. However, it should be noted that the geometry and space for pop-up wings still limit the round from having the same amount of payload as traditional RAP ammunition.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
