On 27 January 2020, the United Kingdom released the key user requirements for its Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) programme to procure a new 155 mm self-propelled artillery system. These requirements indicated a shift in some of the programme’s targets compared to earlier indications. Artillery is a particular area of concern for NATO members as it is widely acknowledged that Russia holds a distinct advantage.
The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated that massed artillery can still have a devastating effect even on armoured formations, with one of the most famous examples being the 2014 Zelenopillya attack, which destroyed a Ukrainian mechanised column including tanks. In this context, the UK’s current fleet of AS90 self-propelled artillery is beginning to show its age. However, the requirements recently released by the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) agency appear to be significantly less ambitious than an initial request for information (RFI) from industry that was issued in April 2019. Responses from industry to the RFI have likely resulted in the moderation of some of the programme’s more technically demanding objectives, with two in particular – range and rate of fire – standing out. However, given the donation of the ageing AS-90 fleet to Ukraine, the MoD issued an RFP for an Interim MFP solution. The AS-90 self-propelled howitzer was first introduced into service in the early 1990s. Initially, the British Army operated 179 systems, however by 2017, this had been reduced to 110, reflecting a lack of significant upgrades to the UK’s AS-90s.
MFP Interim Award
On March 16th 2023 the British Army announced a new artillery deal with Sweden. The British Army will receive modern artillery platforms to replace those supplied to Ukraine, as part of an agreement struck with Sweden. The first 14 Archer artillery systems will have ownership transferred to the British Army this month and be fully operational by next April, forming an interim replacement for the 32 AS90 artillery systems the UK gifted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Designed and built by BAE Systems Bofors in Sweden, Archer has double the maximum range of AS90, greater operational mobility, greater availability and reduced time into action. Operated by 3-4 crew, it has a lower requirement for personnel than the AS90’s five, and benefits from a higher top speed of 70kph compared to the current 53kph. Archer 6×6 boasts a fully automated, self-propelled 155mm howitzer gun designed for rapid deployment, with a firing range of 50km using extended range ammunition – a doubling of the AS90’s 25km range. For a sense of distance, the AS90 could fire from Central London to the M25, whereas Archer is capable of reaching the distance of Sandhurst in Berkshire. Loading and firing of Archer is handled from inside the armoured cabin, with the unit able to be deployed into action in just 20 seconds and is ready to move after firing in the same amount of time. Archer can fire a number of types of 155mm artillery ammunition, including extended range and precision anti-armour shells. It can also fire eight rounds a minute and four rounds in a simultaneous impact-mode, meaning several shells are fired in succession with different trajectories so they hit the same target at the same time.
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said, “While continuing to double-down on our unwavering support for Ukraine, it’s imperative we simultaneously replenish our capabilities at home. Archer artillery systems are powerful, protective and can be rapidly deployed. This agreement with a close European ally will sustain the British Army’s requirements until the longer-term Mobile Fires Platform comes into service – a programme we are working hard to accelerate. The purchase of the Archers from Sweden enables the UK to quickly replace AS90 until the long-term Mobile Fires Platform delivers later this decade as part of the Future Soldier modernisation programme. Archer will contribute to the Close Support capability as part of our commitment to NATO.”
Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith, Deputy Chief of the General Staff said, “Archer is a potent, modern artillery system procured at a speed previously unseen in Defence. Today’s agreement took only eight weeks to secure and the guns will be in service with the British Army by next Spring. Archer fires further and faster than any artillery system previously in service with the British Army – it is a step change in capability and fills a gap left by UK support to Ukraine. It will provide a bridge to the next generation of artillery systems, the procurement of which is being accelerated to speed up modernisation. The agreement has been reached in the space of just two months, demonstrating agility to procure at pace and deliver the Army requirements, following the gifting to Ukraine. It also emphasises the strong ties with our Swedish allies, who have risen to support the challenging timeframe.”
The government-to-government sale is being negotiated by Defence Equipment & Support – the UK MOD’s procurement arm – and the final contract will be signed with their Swedish counterparts, FMV. Recognising the need to sustain Ukraine’s fighting and support capabilities, the UK and Sweden have also agreed to collaborate on bringing together efforts for repair and maintenance of vehicles granted in kind to Ukraine. This Archer procurement was described as, ‘The worst kept secret,’ at the DE&S Indirect Fires Conference, held in Bristol. The MoD appeared here to have made their mind up two months ago, when they issued the RFI to the other possible contenders including Hanwha with K9A1 Thunder, Nexter with Caesar and Krauss-Maffei with the Boxer derivative RCH155 and PzH 2000. Hanwha offered the first 24 howitzers from South Korea in 2024, with an offering a UK solution based on its Team Thunder offering coming later in the process. The RCH155 is still in development and could well be procured post 2027 as part of the Boxer options. Sources suggest that Nexter could only offer 6 Caesar systems within the tight timeframe. In the early days of the procurement of Mobile Fires Platform (MFP), Archer was seen by some as being non-compliant given the different chamber size as discussed by Paul Hough in his Feature. However, rumours of BAE Systems being part of Team Thunder was never announced, which was a clue to their ultimate intensions with Archer?
So, what next for the main MFP Requirement?
Wheels Vs Tracks, in-country build, ammunition technology or a mixture of all three?
A key capability requirement is the ‘shoot and scoot’ capabilities used to such effect by Caesar in Iraq and Ukraine.
In-country build has always been a key requirement given the need for the UK to build up its artillery technology and capability which has been severely depleted over the years with the added loss of a UK barrel making facility; this is probably only sustainable on a European basis. Two consortia provide a very advantageous solution for in-country build, Hanwha with Team Thunder and BAE Systems/Krauss-Maffei/Rheinmetall utilising the RBSL Telford facility; GDUK is another possible contender could also contribute using its South Wales facility. Certainly, the Wheels Vs Tracks debate was highlighted as a key enabler, with tracks favoured over wheels given experiences with winter manoeuvres and operations in mud during the Ukraine Winter. Potential tracked-vehicles solutions include, KMW’s PzH 2000 and the K9A1/2 Thunder from Hanwha Defense. Wheeled solutions include the Boxer RCH155, the Nexter Cesar system, Elbit’s ATMOS 2000 and the Rheinmetall 155mm howitzer based on HX3 10×10 truck chassis.
One of the key MoD requirements for MFP is the offering of advanced 155m ammunition systems, particularly guided precision munitions, a key enabler with pinpoint accuracy using guided munitions such as Excalibur showing its true worth in Ukraine.
The M982 Excalibur
The M982 Excalibur (previously XM982) is a 155 mm extended-range guided artillery shell developed in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). The Excalibur was developed and/or manufactured by prime contractor Raytheon Missiles & Defense, BAE Systems AB (BAE Systems Bofors) and other subs and primes in multiple capacities such as Camber Corporation and Huntington Ingalls Industries. It is a GPS and inertial-guided munition capable of being used in close support situations within 75–150 meters (250–490 ft) of friendly troops or in situations where targets might be prohibitively close to civilians to attack with conventional unguided artillery fire.
Excalibur was developed as a longer-range alternative to conventional artillery shells, with GPS guidance for improved accuracy. Excalibur has a range of approximately 40 to 57 kilometers (25 to 35 mi) depending on configuration, with a circular error probable (CEP) of four meters (13 ft), while unguided Western artillery shells can land up to 150 meters (490 ft) from the target at a range of 24 km (15 mi).
While much more expensive at $68,000 per shell compared to an $800 unguided M777 shell, it is less expensive than the $150,000 rocket used in US guided-missile systems like M142 HIMARS and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. Excalibur’s extended range is achieved through the use of folding glide fins, which allow the projectile to glide from the top of a ballistic arc toward the target. A lower cost alternative to the Excalibur is to use the US Army designed M1156 Precision Guidance Kit to turn existing 155 mm shells into precision weapons.
Current operators
* India
* Australia
* Canada – Canadian Army
* Jordan
* Netherlands – Royal Netherlands Army
* Spain
* Sweden
* Ukraine: Excalibur munitions were donated to the armed forces of Ukraine for use in M777 howitzers and AHS Krab following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
* United States – U.S. Army and USMC
Future or pending operators
* Norway – pending United States Department of Defense’s Foreign military sales request.
* Germany
The initial MFP RFI called for a range objective of 80 kilometres, which is well in excess of the maximum range of all current generation self-propelled artillery, and a major increase in capability over the AS90. The AS90’s 39-calibre barrel and current ammunition suite is capable of a maximum range of around 30 km using rocket-assisted projectiles (RAP). The JBMoU 30km range comes from Base Bleed, Rocket Assist is over 30km. However, there are no JBMoU range tables for Rocket Assist. The 80km range comes only from a fully guided and assisted projectile and this technology is not generally available. Range is only part of the system challenge; targeting is a problem. RAP is also straying into MLRS and PULs Territory.
The United States Army’s prospective XM1113 RAP round aims to achieve a range of 40 km from its current inventory of artillery systems, with that range set to increase to around 70 km when fired from the 58-calibre barrel on its future Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) platform. In a recent test, German manufacturer Rheinmetall was able to achieve a range of 76 km firing from a 52-calibre barrel and a larger non-NATO-standard compliant 25-litre chamber. The projectile used in this test was a velocity-enhanced long-range projectile (V-LAP), which uses a combination of rocket assistance and base bleed technology, where a small gas generator at the rear of the projectile fills the low-pressure area behind it with gas, reducing drag in flight.
However, the VLAP is not in service, sources suggest that these technology demonstrators need more investment. It would be futile for the UK to plough its own furrow on this, it would need international partners.
Participating in the US trials are Elbit’s ATMOS 2000, BAE Systems’ Archer, Nexter’s Caesar and Yugoimport’s Nora. The trials are set to include a complete analysis of platforms and ordnance.
It is likely that the UK will observe the US Army’s mobile Howitzer trials and shoot off to develop market understanding as part of the MFP procurement process.
BAE Systems Sub-Caliber Artillery Long-Range Projectile
On 29 March 2023, in partnership with the U.S. Army, BAE Systems successfully fired a Sub-Caliber Artillery Long-Range Projectile with Enhanced Lethality, our concept for the U.S. Army’s XM1155 sub-caliber program, from a 155 mm XM907E2 58 caliber cannon and impacted a fixed target beyond ranges previously demonstrated by other precision guided projectiles fired from the same type of cannon. Sources suggest that it may be an error to pursue US technology given ITAR issues.
The test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, used a U.S. Army-designed sabot package and confirmed the projectile’s compatibility with the 155 mm Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) Howitzer Test Bed and propelling charges.
“This successful test confirms our Sub-Caliber Artillery Long-Range Projectile with Enhanced Lethality can defeat long-range targets and advance to follow-on testing out to double the range of existing guided projectile and with sensors to find fixed and moving targets of interest,” said Brent Butcher, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems. “We are confident that the projectile is on track to provide the Army the best munitions solution for cannon artillery with a leap ahead capability that will bring a highly lethal, maneuverable projectile to soldiers on the battlefield.”
The BAE Systems concept for the U.S. Army’s XM1155-SC program is an advanced, cannon-launched projectile under development for the defeat of fixed and moving targets in contested environments at more than double the range of existing cannon launched precision guided munitions (PGM). The latest PGM in the Hypervelocity Projectile family of munitions, our concept was developed to penetrate and destroy adversary defenses through increased range, advanced guidance, lethality, and survivability. The projectile addresses the Army’s modernization goals for a long-range precision fires munitions solution.
For the past several years, BAE Systems has invested in the innovation, development and testing of advanced long-range precision fires solutions and has completed more than 100 PGM tests. In early 2022, the predecessor to our XM1155-SC concept, BAE Systems’ Extended Range Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP-ER) successfully destroyed a target at a range of more than 110 kilometers.
BAE Systems is currently under contract with the U.S. Army to develop and test the projectile as part of the Army’s XM1155 Extended Range Artillery Projectile program. Whether this technology would be available to the UK is not clear. Another possible avenue for achieving the objective range of the RFI is through ramjet-powered projectiles.
Revised Requirements For MFP
The revised requirements for the MFP in January 2020 have reduced the objective range from 80 km to 40 km, which is more in line with the capabilities of the current generation of self-propelled artillery systems.
The stand-out requirement for the MFP, however, has been rate of fire. The initial RFI objective called for a sustained rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute for up to ten minutes. This is an ambitious goal, with most modern self-propelled artillery systems unable to achieve this rate of fire even in short bursts, a good example of DE&S ‘gold plating’ the Requirement
Other requirements for MFP, such as the into-action and out-of-action times, have been revised down. Even so, the focus on both the rate-of-fire and out-of-action times, demonstrate how seriously the threat of counter-battery fire is being taken. The level of ambition for strategic mobility also appears to have been reduced. An objective goal of transportability in a C-130 aircraft has been revised in favour of the larger A400M, given that the C-130J is coming out of RAF Service.
The latest requirements also make it clear that the MFP will be expected to self-deploy with the UK’s Strike Brigades, which would appear to narrow the field of potential applicants to wheeled platforms. In the wheeled category, there are two candidates that would have the advantage of commonality with the Strike Brigade’s existing vehicles – BAE’s Archer, and the RCH155 artillery module for Boxer from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). Both Archer and RCH155 meet the 30-second redeployment-time requirement, and both feature fully automated loading systems, enabling a high rate of fire. However, the latter would possibly require two A400Ms to deploy by air and would likely be more expensive.
Rheinmetall and Elbit Systems Automated 155mm L52 Wheeled Self-propelled Howitzer
On May 16th 2023 Rheinmetall and Elbit Systems successfully conducted a live fire demonstration of an automated 155mm L52 wheeled self-propelled howitzer, another possible MFP contender. The demonstration of the new system took place in early March 2023 at the Shivta firing range in southern Israel. It was attended by high-ranking officials of the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary. Rheinmetall and Elbit Systems signed a cooperation agreement last year to develop, manufacture and market an automated European 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer system.
Led by Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, the “Rheinmetall Elbit” team will compete for Germany’s “Future System, Indirect Fire, Medium-Range (ZukSysIndF)” programme, which will modernize and broaden the Bundeswehr’s artillery capabilities. MFP also remains a focus and additional potential customers, such as Hungary, have expressed interest.
The cooperation between Rheinmetall and Elbit builds on the fully automated wheeled self-propelled howitzer procurement programmes that Elbit has signed with Israel and additional customers. As a result, a technically mature system is already available, enabling the integration of a Rheinmetall gun into the unmanned, fully robotic artillery turret of the Elbit system. The integration is currently in an advanced phase of the verification process. This will help reduce development risks and enable faster realization of operational readiness.
Intensive bilateral technology transfer is currently underway, increasing the availability of domestic know-how and components. Rheinmetall is currently carrying out modifications to customize the system to European operational requirements and the German regulatory approval process. Furthermore, the Düsseldorf-based tech enterprise brings its tried-and-tested 155mm L52 gun; high mobility HX 10×10 tactical truck with a well-protected cabin; and electronic components for the fire control unit and sensor suite to the solution.
Rheinmetall is already working to future-proof the solution by enhancing the range of its tube artillery. In addition to the battle-proven L52 and its advanced A1 version, the wheeled self-propelled howitzer is designed to integrate the L60 gun in the future. The L60 is in development and features a significantly larger chamber and a longer 60-calibre barrel. This gun will be able to attain ranges of up to 83 km with JBMoU-compliant ammunition. The Rheinmetall-Elbit wheeled self-propelled howitzer meets the specifications of the Bundeswehr for a future wheel-based, medium-range indirect fire system. Sources suggest that commonality of ammunition is probably a greater goal. Technology for technology’s sake has been shown to be the Achilles heel of UK procurement, especially land procurement, CT40 springs to mind, a costly investment costing the taxpayer some £50 million.
“We are proud to present the world with this advanced 155mm artillery system”, declared John Abunassar, chief of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems division, and Yehuda (Udi) Vered, general manager of Elbit Systems, in a joint statement. “The successful demonstration of the automated howitzer highlights the synergies and innovative technologies of the Rheinmetall-Elbit team – a team that is uniquely positioned to supply the armed forces of Germany and other nations with an outstanding new tube artillery capability. We are convinced that this joint German-Israeli project will contribute to strengthening ties between our two nations and their armed forces.”
Conclusion
We will learn more about the offerings from the various MFP teams at this year’s DSEI and perhaps the MoD will give more clarity as to the timescale of the procurement. Sources suggest that this will come by the end of the decade to suit budgetary requirements and the Boxer procurement schedule to allow the RCH 155 to become a contender.
(Sources: https://www.gov.uk/; Defense News; Wikipedia; army-technology.com; RUSI)
I am indebted to Paul Hough for his input.