The Army’s New Howitzer Barrel is Ridiculously Long

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Ethan Smith
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The U.S. Army is on the verge of updating its howitzer fleet to double the shooting range. The M109A7 Paladin and M777 howitzers are likely to see a serious increase in the distance at which they can support friendly forces while staying out of the range fans of Russian and Chinese-made artillery.

One part of this upgrade: a gun barrel nearly as long as a telephone pole.

A Work of Art(illery)

Field artillery is back in vogue. The U.S, has spent the past two decade in infantry-intensive wars in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but the shift back to big-power potential warfare against enemies like Russia and China has turned attention back to the artillery branch. Howitzers and rocket launchers are the primary means of fire support for ground forces in conventional battle and can strike targets miles behind enemy lines.

The U.S. Army has some very good artillery weapons, including the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer (above) and the M777 towed howitzer. Long-distance shooting really isn’t their strong suit, though. Both guns can fire to a range of 14 miles with conventional shells and 18.6 miles with rocket-assisted shells, or RAPs, which give each shell some extra oomph but at a cost of less explosive filler and slightly less accuracy.

The problem is that Russian guns can shoot even farther. Russia’s older self-propelled howitzer, the Msta, can shoot to ranges of 24 miles while the new Koalitsiya howitzer has a range of 43 miles. That means that U.S. howitzers must operate within range of Russian guns, and the Koalitsiya could bombard U.S. artillery forces at maximum range without U.S. guns being able to shoot back.

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Winning the Range Game

The Extended Range Cannon Artillery program is an attempt to buy more distance versus Russian artillery by improving existing American guns. In the short term, as Breaking Defense points out, that includes a new RAP round, the XM113, which will push existing guns to 24 miles. The XM113 will start hitting the field in 2 to 3 years. A combination of RAP shell, new propellants and a new, super-long howitzer barrel should push Army howitzers to 43 miles.

The new howitzer barrel, recently tested at Yuma Proving Ground and shown above, is 58 calibers long. In cannon and howitzer terminology, the caliber of the barrel is not the barrel diameter, but the length. In this case, the gun is 58 times the diameter of the barrel. To determine the length of a 155mm/58 caliber howitzer, multiply 155 by 58. That’s 8,990 millimeters long, or 29.49 feet. That’s six feet longer than the existing gun on the M109 howitzer.

Longer barrels allow the explosive gasses produced by burning propellant to act longer on the shell, so it gives the barrel at greater velocities. Greater velocity equals greater range. A short-barreled rifle, for example, will have a slower muzzle velocity and shorter range than a rifle with a longer barrel.

In addition to the ERCA upgrades, the Army could end up fielding the new Nammo ramjet artillery shell. Nammo, a Norwegian company and contractor in the XM113 program, claims its ramjet shell can reach ranges of 60 miles or more. Powered by a ramjet, the round uses the surrounding air as fuel, reducing the need for fuel on board the shell itself.

See also  .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire for Whitetail Deer Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Whitetail Deer Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for whitetail deer hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the whitetail deer, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the whitetail deer in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a whitetail deer in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire within the ideal range of suitable calibers for whitetail deer hunting?” our answer is: No, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Animal Species Whitetail Deer Muzzle Energy 250 foot-pounds Animal Weight 210 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire round is approximately 250 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer is approximately 210 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in whitetail deer hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for whitetail deer to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the whitetail deer being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer - and to this question, the response again is no, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting whitetail deer to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. 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The Army’s new cannon tech should keep U.S. artillery competitive with Russian artillery, at least while the Army is busy buying a replacement for the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and M1 Abrams main battle tank. The long barrels make travel a bit awkward, especially through forests and urban areas, but the benefit to Army artillery will be significant and at minimal cost.

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