The Rise of the Slorc - The 1000 Mile Cannon

[Kirkhill]

https://breakingdefense.com/2018/10/army-builds-1000-mile-supergun/?_ga=2.57007850.1978548056.1539303747-524195596.1501768444

A gun of unknown dimensions that can reach out, with precision, 1000 miles while being mobile - er - movable - er - relocatable.

My sense is, given the discussions about super-sizing rocket-assisted 155s, that we could be looking at a 227 mm cannon employed as a reusable booster for a GMRLS scale round carrying a Small Diameter Bomb submunition.

A warhead, stuffed in a bomb, stuffed in a missile, stuffed in a cannon..... A Strategic Long Range Turducken -  A Slurducken

Happy Thanksgiving.

The art of the possible.

 

[tomahawk6]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/4-new-weapons-the-us-army-is-developing-to-blow-a-hole-in-russian-defenses-from-incredible-distance/ar-BBOfHac?ocid=spartanntp 


The US Army wants guns, big ones. The service is modernizing for high-intensity combat against top adversaries, and one of the top priorities is long-range precision fires.

The goal of the Long-Range Precision Fires team is to pursue range overmatch against peer and near-peer competitors, Col. John Rafferty, the team's director of the LRPF who is part of the recently-established Army Futures Command, told reporters Wednesday at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, DC.   

 

[a_majoor]

Two existing programs could be repurposed towards this end, and the "relocatable" gun might not even be all the much larger than current weapons.

The US Navy cancelled a program called the Advanced Gun System, which used a 155mm cannon mated to a new breach mechanism to fire special shells and ammunition. The LRLAP was tested at ranges of 110km and performed satisfactorily, but due to the tiny number of Zumwalt class cruisers built, the cost per run became pretty astronomical, estimated at up to $1,000,000/round.

The other program which is ongoing is converting the hypersonic projectiles developed for electric railguns for use in conventional artillery. It is estimated that such a shell fired from a normal 155mm cannon could have a range of 70km. Costing has not been announced, but since there are tens of thousands of 155mm cannon around the world, very long production runs could be scheduled to bring costs down significantly.

If we imagine the AGS cannon with its automatic loader and water cooing system for the barrel mounted on a large vehicle like the FH-77 Archer, or carried between multiple carriers like the "Atomic Annie", and armed with the hypersonic railgun shells, the performance would likely be inside the envelope of this project. A burst of 155 rounds from the weapon, then moving to a new site, while the rounds carry on to a target 200km away...

An interesting thought experiment.

 

[Czech_pivo]

And just think, 25yrs ago we had the worlds expert on super long range arty guns.....anyone want to guess what happened to him? Hint, cough cough M*ssad cough cough.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

That's what you get when your not picky about your clients. Such tech might mean a return to a gun cruiser, a modern HMS Tiger sized vessel, with a semi armoured hull to defeat AS missile and long range guns to supplement more expensive missile systems.

 

[Czech_pivo]

That's what you get when your not picky about your clients. Such tech might mean a return to a gun cruiser, a modern HMS Tiger sized vessel, with a semi armoured hull to defeat AS missile and long range guns to supplement more expensive missile systems.

True enough, but its funny how the circle is being closed on this again.  If Elon Musk had been around back in the early 90's Bull's talents could have been used there. Sad how many of Canada's best and brightest have been cast aside and had to ply their talents elsewhere in the world. As an aside, they both would have been Queen's alumni.....

 

[FJAG]

Major breakthrough: Army artillery hits target at 38 miles, doubling range

By Kris Osborn | Warrior Maven

The Army has successfully fired a 155mm artillery round 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) - marking a technical breakthrough in the realm of land-based weapons and progressing toward its stated goal of being able to outrange and outgun Russian and Chinese weapons.

“We just doubled the range of our artillery at Yuma Proving Ground,” Gen. John Murray, Commanding General of Army Futures Command, told reporters at the recent Association of the United States Army Annual Symposium.


Currently, most land-fired artillery shot from an M777 Towed Howitzer or Self-Propelled Howitzer are able to pinpoint targets out to 30km (18.6 miles) - so hitting 62km marks a substantial leap forward in offensive attack capability.

Murray was clear that the intent of the effort, described as Extended Range Cannon Artillery, is specifically aimed at regaining tactical overmatch against Russian and Chinese weapons.

. . .

See rest of article here:

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/major-breakthrough-army-artillery-hits-target-at-38-miles-doubling-range

:cheers:

 

[CombatDoc]

And just think, 25yrs ago we had the worlds expert on super long range arty guns.....anyone want to guess what happened to him? Hint, cough cough M*ssad cough cough.

I thought it was hint, cough cough $addam Hu$$ein Ir@q  cough cough M*ssad cough cough?

 

[GAP]

how about Bell

 

[Kirkhill]

Bull!

 

[GAP]

yup...

 

[a_majoor]

The biggest issue here is going to be the calculus of costs. When does the price of the artillery piece/extended ange ammunition become competitive with rocket artillery? Some of the Russian 280mm+ rocket artillery systems have the ability to saturate targets at the sorts of ranges being discussed, at the cost of accuracy. The ability to "ripple fire" waves of rockets, and the lower initial expense is an interesting counterpoint to the US emphasis on long range and precision.

[color-black]CV 9A52-4 Tornado MRLS New Russian multiple rocket launcher system Russia army Video RIA Novosti
[/color]

 

[YZT580]

The biggest issue here is going to be the calculus of costs. When does the price of the artillery piece/extended ange ammunition become competitive with rocket artillery? Some of the Russian 280mm+ rocket artillery systems have the ability to saturate targets at the sorts of ranges being discussed, at the cost of accuracy. The ability to "ripple fire" waves of rockets, and the lower initial expense is an interesting counterpoint to the US emphasis on long range and precision.

  The Russians don't care about collateral damage so ripple fire works well.  If it kills a civilian well that just adds to the shock and awe of their attack.  NATO and the US pay attention to the press and feel obligated to respond to charges of killing civilians hence the acceptance of a higher cost.

 

[Kirkhill]

  The Russians don't care about collateral damage so ripple fire works well.  If it kills a civilian well that just adds to the shock and awe of their attack.  NATO and the US pay attention to the press and feel obligated to respond to charges of killing civilians hence the acceptance of a higher cost.

Western Standard

Russian Standard

 

[Colin Parkinson]

What I see this for is for dedicated counter battery stuff, taking out or forcing their long range artillery to keep repostioning.

 

[a_majoor]

It is amazing to see how artillery has improved, however. The "best" long range cannon of the artillery age were things like the Krupp K-5 283mm railway cannon:

CREW: 85
LENGTH: 104.99 feet (32 meters)
WIDTH: 10.00 feet (3.048 meters)
HEIGHT: 13.00 feet (3.962 meters)
WEIGHT: 218 Tons (197,766 kilograms; 435,999 pounds)
ENGINE: None. This is a transported artillery piece moved by established railway network.
RANGE: 40 miles (64 kilometers)

A special version was bored out and relined with a smoothbore liner. It fired the Peenemunde Arrow Shell to a range of 110km

http://greyfalcon.us/restored/AN%20INVENTORY%20OF%20NAZI%20SECRET%20WEAPONS.htm

The Peenemünde Arrow Shells were conceived and developed at the Aerodynamic Research Laboratories at Peenemünde from 1942 to 1945. The arrow shells were dart-like projectiles designed to be fired from special smooth-bore versions of standard German Army artillery pieces. The project was initially envisioned and designed as ultra-long-range shells using a 310mm smooth-bored version of the famed 280mm K5 railway gun (Anzio Annie). The arrow shell was 1.91m long and 120mm in caliber, with four fins at the tail 310mm across and a 310mm sabot or discarding ring around the middle of the shell (center of gravity). The ring was naturally discarded and would fell away outside the gun muzzle when fired, while the accelerating shell would reach a velocity of 1524m/sec and obtain a maximum range of 150km. Two guns were produced, and one of them fired in anger at the US 3rd Army located 125km away from the gun.

 

[tomahawk6]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-us-army-wants-a-powerful-cannon-that-can-hit-chinese-warships-in-the-south-china-sea-from-1000-miles-away/ar-BBSHzz8?ocid=spartanntp

 

[NavyShooter]

I think we're at the stage where Jerry Pournelle's Project Thor might be the best way ahead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment

Contract with Elon Musk to orbit a large number of varying sized tungsten penetrators with GPS guidance systems added. 

Get a variety of sizes - 10 KG, 50 KG, 200 KG, 1000 KG, and park a small constellation of them above any potential threat zone.  Someone needs supporting fires?  Drop one or more of the appropriate size from space. 

No explosives needed - the kinetic energy will be rather resounding all on its own.

NS

 

[Spencer100]

Rods from God!

 

[tomahawk6]

Metalstorm would be awesome.

https://www.defensenews.com/di...ims-high-er-farther/