King of Battle: US Army to Get New, High-Tech Artillery

The new system appears to have some pretty impressive capabilities:

One of the more fun things I got to do in my time in Uncle Sam’s colors was to call in 155mm and 8-inch gunfire during a 5-day field exercise at Ft. Lewis, Washington. It always struck me as one of the world’s nastiest practical jokes; sitting in a hole on a hillside, talking into a radio, and directing the rain of death and destruction from afar. We were just targeting junk vehicles and some plywood mockups, but if it had been real, it would have been really bad luck to have been anywhere near those targets.

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The MDACS battery will consist of eight MDAC artillery units, four MFPR multi-function radars, two MDBM battle management systems, and a minimum of 144 HVP hypersonic projectiles.

Now the US Army Field Artillery, the “cannon cockers” (no, that’s not what the term means; “cocker” is an old term from when artillery pieces had locks, like a musket, and required “cocking” before firing) are going to be getting some new high-tech toys.

And now, the cannon-cockers have some new toys that will make them even more effective. That’s how it’s supposed to work. 

There’s a reason the Field Artillery is called “The King of Battle.” Since the Great War, artillery has been the number one casualty-inflictor in warfare. A single honest old 155mm projectile landing anywhere nearby has the potential to ruin one’s whole day, and if it’s really close, one might discover one’s self starting a new career as a fine pink mist.

The United States military has selected London-headquartered aerospace and defense security company BAE Systems to develop the prototype of a new 155 mm anti-aircraft artillery system equipped with hypersonic projectiles.The system, named the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon (MDAC) and Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP) prototype, was announced through a public notice on December 20, 2024. The Pentagon sole-sourced the contract to BAE, bypassing a competitive process among private vendors.

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