Army to test hypervelocity projectile for 155mm cannon artillery
By Jen Judson
Friday, Aug 9, 2024
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army is slated to begin evaluating a hypervelocity projectile for the service’s artillery systems in 2025, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office director.
The service is pursuing such a capability as a potential munition for eliminating cheaper targets, rather than using high-end missiles for the same mission, Rasch told Defense News at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
Hypervelocity projectiles are “an order of magnitude cheaper than its equivalent missile,” Rasch said, “but can go really fast to close on the target.”
The Army plans to prototype the hypervelocity capability through the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Rasch said, and will spend roughly three years studying the physics of shooting the projectile from a 155mm cannon.
https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/smd/2024/08/09/army-to-test-hypervelocity-projectile-for-155mm-cannon-artillery/