The US Army is looking for new self-propelled artillery, and European companies are fighting for this opportunity

The US Army has announced five contracts worth a total of $4 million for the upcoming self-propelled howitzer demonstration.

Here's What We Know

The contracts were signed with American Rheinmetall Vehicles, BAE Systems Bofors, Hanwha Defence USA, General Dynamics Land Systems and Elbit Systems USA.

As a reminder, in March 2024, the United States cancelled the development programme for a new self-propelled artillery system, the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), which could fire at a range of 70 kilometres.

After the ERCA programme was cancelled, the US Army did not give up its desire to obtain a new self-propelled artillery system and changed its approach to its search. Therefore, the United States is now seeking to purchase a ready-made and proven solution rather than develop a new combat vehicle.

"As part of the new strategy, we are exploring a range of options both in the US and internationally to leverage mature and affordable industrial solutions to fill critical gaps in the Army's capabilities," explained Major General Glenn Dean, Ground Combat Systems Programme Manager.

Demonstration testing is due to begin in November 2024 and will form the basis for many of the areas of the Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernisation (SPH-M) programme outlined in the Army's Artillery Transformation Strategy.

Source: Defence Industry Europe