Photo By Ana Henderson | A large test crew worked on the firing event, here the crew is pictured checking every...... read more read more
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On a clear sunny Saturday morning at U.S. Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), a group of very invested individuals gathered to witness a landmark test event.
The mission at hand – to fire at a range of 65 kilometers. It would be the farthest shot in terms of long-range precision fires from the Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), which is tested at YPG.
In 2018 YPG used ERCA to fire 62 kilometers, nearly doubling the current standard at the time. One year later that range was extended by three kilometers.
With the Army’s shift in focus to modernization and fighting the enemy of the future, Long Range Precision Fires is one of eight top priorities. For this particular test, individuals from test centers across the country participated.
“Over the last year we continued to mature the propellant design and incorporate software changes in the Excalibur projectile to build upon last year’s 62 kilometer shot,” said Col. Will McDonough, Project Manager-Combat Ammunitions Systems Indirect Fire. “Propellant is really the focus this year because it helps build the muzzle velocity, and how fast the projectile goes directly determines how far the projectile goes.”
“The Excalibur is one of the few munitions that can penetrate buildings and its extended range,” added Lt. Col. Thomas Jagielski, Product Manager for Precision Attack Cannon Munitions. “It provides an overmatch capability that hadn’t existed for a long time.”
Surprisingly, the time-trusted Excalibur round, which underwent developmental testing at YPG, did not need to be modified.
“We have done small changes, but they were changes we were going to do anyway to the flight software,” said Jagielski. “We did testing to make sure it was structurally sound, but it’s the Excalibur we have been shooting for about 10 years.”
When it was time to fire, everyone took cover behind bomb shields and inside connex boxes. While those on site could hear the boom, the naked eye could not see the projectile while it made its journey. Once the projectile hit the target’s bullseye there were many cheers and high-fives-- the round reached the intended range.
“Just as important as the range we got was the angle of fall that we achieved,” said Jagielski. “This is a big first step for not only my program but for the Army as a whole.”
In July of 2018 the Army Futures Command (AFC) was created. In 2019, the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), YPG’s superior command, was put in direct support of AFC.
Col. Ross Poppenberger, YPG commander, observed the test and reflected on the day’s accomplishment. “All the senior leaders in the Department of Defense are looking at Yuma Proving Ground today. I myself was sending reports back as we had a successful shot. It really shows that YPG is on the cutting edge of modernization and development, and quite successful at it.”
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2020 13:50 |
| Story ID: | 363394 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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