Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) programme has been cancelled, which aimed to increase the maximum range of artillery to 70-100 km with a long-barrel gun. The Defense Post reports that the programme launched in 2018 has been dropped because of reliability issues with the gun system. Within the scope of the prototype phase, a 155 mm L58 gun was integrated into a M109 SPG. After the firing tests, it was observed that the gun had unacceptable wear with a low number of firing. Technically speaking, a longer gun barrel is harder to keep in shape because of the increase in thermal and mechanical strain. The service will likely use new types of ammunition, such as guided rounds with increased flight performance, to achieve extended ranges. However, cost management will be delicate, as proven by the cancelled LRLAP rounds for Zumwalt-class destroyers' 155 mm AGS guns. A budget worth $55 million for a programme to replace ERCA is proposed.
U.S. Army Shelves Extended-Range Artillery Gun
