The U.S. Army intends to make domestic production a requirement under a planned competition for the development of its next self-propelled howitzer, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.
What Are the Howitzer Acquisition Requirements?
The requirement for domestic production, which applies to the howitzer itself as well as a resupply vehicle, is one of the provisions articulated in a document dated Oct. 20 that provides fresh details about the upcoming Army contracting opportunity.
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According to the document, a copy of which had been obtained by Breaking Defense, the other requirements include the ability of the howitzer to fire U.S. ammunition and be as heavily armored as the existing M109A7 while being more mobile and transportable. In particular, the future howitzer must be capable of moving on, or offroad, and must be transportable by air, sea, rail or road. The weapon must also demonstrate reliability and maintainability that reduces logistical burdens and sustains combat operations.
In terms of effectiveness, the howitzer must be capable of achieving precision fires up to 70 km, massed lethal effects at a maximum of 58 km and have a minimum range of 4 km.
Resumption of Howitzer Acquisition Effort
The latest document supports a request for information released in September by the Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems. The issuance of the RFI had been the latest development in an acquisition effort for a self-propelled howitzer which was announced earlier in the year, but was apparently put on pause in May. Though the October document specifies the domestic production requirement, the RFI had only asked interested vendors to describe their onshore production abilities.
Known interested vendors include Rheinmetall, Hanwha, Elbit America and a team comprising Leonardo DRS and KNDS. BAE Systems and General Dynamics are also potential players.
