Login
iscover
BAE Systems has been awarded a US$33 million, multi-year contract from the US Army to further develop its Long Range Precision Guidance Kit (LR-PGK) for 155mm artillery shells, enabling the Army to conduct long-range precision strikes in challenging electromagnetic environments.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
LR-PGK is a critical program in the Army’s 155mm Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) munitions suite, designed to deliver accurate, lethal fires at greater ranges than near-peer adversaries.
The BAE Systems solution builds on proven, mature technology, offering greater performance than current guidance kits through increased manoeuvrability and an incorporated anti-jam capability.
John Watkins, vice president of precision strike at BAE Systems, said, "We’re helping the Army meet its precision strike objectives with this critical long range artillery capability. Our experience in precision guidance, rugged electronics, and artillery platforms has helped us develop a kit that improves mission effectiveness."
Under the new contract, BAE Systems will produce a series of LR-PGK fuses for live-fire testing, further validating the solution and demonstrating its accuracy and reliability in challenging battlefield conditions.
Prior to the award, BAE Systems successfully demonstrated the LR-PGK capability and performance at Yuma Proving Ground in September 2019.
The company committed significant investment to deliver on the Army’s modernisation goals by intentionally designing the LR-PGK’s modular architecture for low-cost production and upgradeability.
In addition to designing and manufacturing the M109 family of self-propelled howitzers, BAE Systems has developed and delivered guidance systems for precision munitions for decades and is a major supplier of artillery round explosives and propellants.
BAE Systems' LR-PGK with GPS anti-jam technology corrects inherent ballistic errors of high-explosive and rocket-assist artillery projectiles to deliver long-range precision fires.
Emerging signal-jamming capabilities of adversaries threaten the effectiveness of the US Army's existing artillery precision guidance kits, but the LR-PGK technology meets current and future anti-jam requirements to defeat jamming. It also advances previously successful capabilities developed to improve reliability of precision-strike functions in GPS-jammed environments.
This kit is compatible with existing and future artillery shells and firing platforms, including:
- M795, M1128, XM1113, and M549A1 standard projectiles;
- M109A6/A7 self-propelled howitzers (manufactured by BAE Systems);
- M1299 extended range cannon artillery; and
- M777A2 lightweight towed howitzers (manufactured by BAE Systems).
LR-PGK is one of several BAE Systems programs that support long-range precision fires, one of the US Army’s top modernisation priorities.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
