The Army showed the media it's newest artillery cannon Friday. The XM1299 prototype is being tested at the Yuma Proving Ground.
The Army's newest long range cannon artillery prototype was put on public display for the first time at the Yuma Proving Ground. The XM1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery, known as ERCA, fired four rounds hitting targets 70 kilometers, nearly 44 miles, away.
Among the dignitaries on hand at mission control was General Joseph Martin, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, flown in from the Pentagon. At a press conference after the demonstration, General Martin called ERCA a result of five years of study.
"(It) allowed us to see the direction we needed to go with the way we needed to fight, and the future that we envisioned," Martin told KAWC. "That allowed us to see which capabilities we needed to fill. And every single one of them will provide us overmatch over our adversaries."
U.S. 95 had to be shut down during the firings. YPG Commander Colonel Ross Poppenberger says the closure was required because the projectiles fired crossed over the roadway. Just over 200 vehicles were affected.
"I want to thank the community for understanding that it's one of the costs of national defense here.
Col. Poppenberger said. "And I think when people understand that, they understand the impact."
The projectiles took about four minutes to reach their targets. The artillery cannon is prototype zero, with testing to continue at YPG. The first field platoon units are expected to receive the cannon in 2023.
